Miracle Force Magic
by strawberryTala
Summary: Yuya is 12, sitting on a swing in the park when his head suddenly feels like it's stretching and breaking. Then he has 3 new friends. (Future Dimensionshipping)
1. Pain and New Friendship

Yuya is 12 years old, sitting on swing alone in the park, rocking back and forth slowly, goggles over his eyes. It's late in the evening and the sun had started to set, painting the park in shades of red and orange. He needed to go home soon, or his mom would worry and come looking for him, but he wanted to be alone for a little while longer.

His head still hurt a little from a rock one of the other kids had thrown at him. Their words hurt more, 'coward's son' still ringing in his ears, barely drowned out by the squeaking of the chains and the birds that had built a nest in one of the trees nearby.

Yuya pushed his goggles back onto his head. He moved his hand to his deck in his pocket and pulled out his favourite monster and biggest comfort.

Odd-Eyes stared back at him from the card, unmoving and still, but Yuya thought he could feel warmth from his multi-coloured eyes. Looking at his ace always comforted him, he had read his status effects more time than he could count, traced the letters of his name and numbers for his attack and defense with both eyes and fingers.

As he looked at the card in his hands, what felt like a small tingle started in the back of his head.

Yuya gave a small smile at the dragon. "At least you don't think I'm a coward, right, Odd Eyes?"

There was no answer of course. But Yuya felt like he could tell Odd Eyes anything without being judged. Without worrying he was being a bother.

But sometimes, Yuya swore he could hear his dragon rumble back, or feel the card in his hands become warm or let out a small glow for just a second.

He put Odd Eyes back in his deck safely and started to wonder if he should head home, when a searing pain split across his head.

Yuya let's out a scream and clutched at his hair, folding in on himself as if trying to escape the pain. It feels like his head is splitting at the seams, stretching and breaking open.

He trashes backwards, making him fall off the swing, the pain as his back roughly hits the ground barely noticed. His mind feels like it's stretching by itself, reaching out, out and further out.

A boy in a yellow shirt collapses to the ground in a garage, tears leaking out of his eyes.

A boy writhe on the floor in a dark living room, cards spread in front of him.

A boy curls up in a garden, teeth grit to bite back any noise that wanted to escape.

Then he feels like something clicks in place, and the pain abruptly stops.

Yuya is panting hard. His ears are ringing and his throat hurts. He must have screamed more than he thought. The ground is hard and cold against his back. His mind feels like it's been teared open and put back together anew, but it feels like everything fits.

As he lays there, staring up into the sky and trying to gather his thoughts back together, phantom sensations came over him.

 _~Owwww, what the hell was that?!~_

 _[What... just happened?]_

 _{I better not be getting sick...}_

Yuya freezes. Those voices felt so much closer than anything he'd ever heard. He looks around, still to shaken to think about getting up, but he can't see anyone. The voices have turned into mumbles and distorted phantom feelings.

/ _Hello?\_

It's the voices turn to freeze up now. He feels as confused as they probably do.

 _~What the hell?! Who's talking! And why is it so close!~_

Yuya winces. That was loud.

 _[I don't, what's going on? Is anyone there?]_

 _{Who's speaking?}_

The voices sound as confused as he does, but he's at a loss for what to do. His manners for meeting new people end up kicking in.

 _/I'm Yuya Sakaki. What's your names?\_

Silence meets him at furst, but it's the loudest voice that answers first.

 _~I'm Yugo!~_

 _{Your name is Fusion?}_ Yuya thought he could hear snickering.

 _~Hah!? It's not Fusion, it's Yugo!~_

The quieter of the voices speaks up before an argument can break out.

 _[I'm Yuto.]_

Silence washes over them, their third companion seemingly unwilling to name himself.

 _~What? Don't have a name or something?~_

Yuya got the distinct feeling the unnamed voice was turning his nose up, a huffing sound coming from him.

 _{Of course I do, don't be stupid.}_

 _~So? We need something to call you, you know.~_

 _{…My name is Yuri.}_

Yuya smiled. He had a name to everyone now! _/Nice to meet you! So um, what are you all doing talking in my head?\_

 _~It's you guys talking in my head! But I don't know how that happened. I was going through my cards when my head started to hurt really badly...~_ Yugo sounds strained at that.

Yuto spoke up. _[You too? I was sorting my cards when my head started to hurt.]_

 _{I was re-organising my deck, I don't know why it happened. But my deck is a mess now.}_ Yuri sounds miffed.

 _/I wasn't going through my deck but, I was looking at Odd Eyes when my head started to prickle, then it started to hurt.\_

 _[Odd Eyes?]_

Yuya perks up. He was always ready to talk about his dragon. _/My ace! Odd Eyes Dragon! He's really cool!\_

 _[Wait, all of you are dueslists?]_

 _~Uh, duh? Can you be something else?~_

 _{Of course I am. Everyone at Academia is one.}_

 _~What's an Academa?~_

 _{Aca-de-mia. Can't you even prounounce words properly, Fusion?}_

 _~It's not Fusion, it's Yugo!~_ Yugo paused. _~And what does that mean anyway?!~_

 _{Exactly what I said.}_

Yuto cut in before the argument could continue.

 _[What about you Yuri? What were you doing?]_

Yuri paused, but answered. _{I was looking at Starve Venom when my head started to, prickle as you call it, as well.}_

 _[Starve Venom?]_

 _{My ace monster.}_ Yuri sounds pleased and happy to talk about his monster. Yuya could understand the feeling. _{Starve Venom Fusion Dragon. He's the strongest there is.}_

 _~Nuh uh! My Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is obviously the strongest!~_ Yugo sounded excited despite his words. It was contagious. _~But I was trying to see if any of the cards I found could work with my deck and Clear Wing when my head started to itch.~_

 _[I was holding Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. Luckily he wasn't damaged when I dropped him...]_ Yuto sounds relieved.

 _/They all sound so cool.\_ Yuya gushes. He loved dragons, and he could feel his heart doing flip flops at hearing about these new ones he'd never heard about before!

Yuya was about to ask again what they were doing in his head, when a familiar voice rang out across the park.

"Yuya! What are you doing, out at this time?"

Yuya looked up. It was mom. It had turned completely dark while he'd been busy talking to his new, friends? Were they friends? He wasn't sure.

He realised he really wanted to be.

Yuya sat up as Yoko reached him and picked him up to his feet, despite his protests that he could do it himself, and dusted him off. "I was getting worried when you didn't come home and then i find you lying in the dirt. Did something happen?"

Mom had that worried look in her eyes, despite smiling. Yuya hated that look.

"I'm fine!" Yuya smiled and swung his arms. "I just fell off the swing, no biggie."

Mom didn't look like she wholly believed him, but she let out a sigh, smiled and stood up.

"Let's go home then, it's way to late for you to be out!" She held out a hand for him to take and they started to walk home.

 _/Hey, are we friends?\_ Yuya asked, nervously. Memories of kids he'd thought were his friends leaving him and calling him names after dad disappeared poked their heads out from where he'd done his best to bury them.

Yugo blew away his worries with some simple words and made his steps feel lighter.

 _~Yeah! If you're gonna talk in my head I'd rather we're friends. Plus our dragons kinda match, and I think Clear Wing likes you guys!~_

 _[Friends...]_ Yuto sounded dazed. _[Y-yeah! We're, we can be friends. I want to be friends!]_ He sounded happy.

 _{I, I suppose.}_ Yuri sounded puzzled, like he didn't fully understand the word. _{Just try not to annoy me too much if we're going to be stuck like this.}_

 _~That's my line! You talk too much like a Tops!~_

 _{What does that even mean?}_

 _~What I just said.~_ Yugo sounded very smug.

 _{That doesn't even mean anything in this context.}_

Yuya laughed, his mom giving him a questioning look.

He beamed up at her, feeling happier than he's been in weeks. "I made some new friends today!"

* * *

I'll put this up with every chapter but for reference:

/Yuya\

~Yugo~

[Yuto]

{Yuri}

Soooo, story where the yu-boys share a telepathic link, hope you'll like it!


	2. Little Phantom

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yuto hated mornings.

The light that came from the windows despite his attempts to cover them completely always woke him up. It was even worse during hightime summer, when the time it was dark during the night was just a sole few hours.

Yuto liked the night and the dark it brought. When it was dark he felt the most energetic, sunny days mostly making him sleepy.

Sleeping best when it was dark yet having the most energy during the night was terrible.

Yuto burrowed further into his mattress, pulling his pillow over his head to block out the light. He didn't want to get up.

 _[Whoever came up with mornings can fight me.]_

 _{My, the nightly phantom finally decides to join the land of the living? How wonderful.}_

Yuto startles, flinging up from his hiding place in a half-sitting position.

 _/Hehe, really Yuto, it's like 9 already. Did you oversleep?\_

Oh, right.

Yuto slumps down in bed again, groaning. _[God you scared me, don't do that.]_

 _{How else are we supposed to greet you? I've yet to discover a way to control the volume of our inner voices beyond weak whispering. Believe me, I would have told all of you if I had.}_

 _/Hearing you guys still surprises me sometimes too.\_

 _~Ugh, tell me about it, I've screamed out loud so many times Rin is starting to get suspicious. She keeps giving me weird looks.~_

 _{Screaming out loud tends to do that. Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?}_

 _~I don't scream every time!~_

Yuto forces back a smile. It's only been about two months since he gained his new head companions, yet this scenario already felt familiar. He still found himself jumping in surprise when one of them spoke up after long stretches of silence, but weeks of daily conversation builds up and Yuto had a hard time not thinking of them as some weird sort of friends by now.

Yuto reluctantly gets up, stretching. _[I didn't oversleep.]_

 _/Huh?\_

 _[You asked if I overslept.]_

 _/Oh, right. But don't you have school? Or is it a different time where you are?\_

Yuto pauses where he's pulling on his uniform to glance at the clock on the wall. 9:13.

 _[It's 9:15 here.]_

 _/Oh, it's the same here!\_

 _~Hey, me too!~_

 _{Same here. But don't you have class?}_

Yuto goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He ponders how to explain his situation, when other kids ask him they usually shout 'unfair!' or call him lazy. His stomach squirms uncomfortably at the thought of his new friends calling him that, but something tells him they won't.

 _/Yuto?\_

 _~Did you fall asleep?~_

Yuto shakes his head. _[Sorry. I do have class, but I start later in the day compared to everyone else.]_

 _/Why?\_

Yuto squirms a little. _[Sleeping problems. I have a hard time sleeping during the night, I feel very, fidgety? And I can't take sleeping pills without getting very sick. So I have an agreement with the school, I start later in the day, do some extra work and meet a teacher to make sure I don't fall behind.]_

He didn't mention how at ease he felt when it was dark, how he would go out and just wander around or stare at the sky while sitting on a bench or laying down in the grass in the park. How the silence only nighttime could bring calmed his heart like nothing else, the quiet and darkness wrapping around him like a soft, cool blanket.

He was still wary of his new friends finding him weird.

 _~I don't really get the sleeping part, but I kinda get the fidgety part, I get like that if I'm inside for too long. I like being outside under the sky the best! Standing on one of the big highways and looking out at the ocean is the best!~_

 _/I like it too! The large bridge over the water is one of my favourite places. But I like being in the Action Fields a lot, getting to be with my monsters is so much fun!\_

Yuto smiles, feeling his shoulders relax in relief. Maybe they wouldn't find him weird.

 _~You got a place like that Yuri?~_

 _{Huh?}_

 _/A place you like to be!\_

Yuri was quiet for a few seconds, before what Yuto thought was mumbling came from him.

 _{…My garden.}_

Yuto blinks. [ _Garden?]_

Yuri makes a humming noise. _{Well, it's not technically mine, it belongs to the school, but it's close to my room and no one else comes here. So it's mine.}_

 _~Okaaay? I've only seen parks in the Tops, dunno what a garden really looks like.~_

 _{You're joking?}_

Yuto tunes out the conversation and realises he's been standing with his toothbrush in his mouth for about 5 minutes. He spits and goes to pick up his bag. At this rate he really will be late.

 _/But it's good that you get to sleep properly, Yuto. I get nightmares sometimes and I have a hard time falling asleep afterwards.\_

 _{It's a little odd that you're allowed.}_

Yuto unlocks his door and steps outside. _[Really? Is it weird for your school?]_

 _/Is it a stricter place? I don't think it's that weird.\_

 _{More or less.}_

Yuto hums. He wondered if Yuri went to a private or boarding school like Yuto did. Yuya sounded like he went to a normal public one, he distantly remembered Yuya talking about his school not being far from his house, so he could walk there.

 _[Yugo, what about you?]_

 _~Huh?~_

 _/Is it weird that your school would let you start later so you get to sleep properly?\_

 _~Oh, I don't go to school, so I don't know. Only Tops kids get to go to proper school.~_

Yuto pauses in the hall.

There were moments like this, sometimes. Despite being together for almost two months, they didn't know everything about each other. It never came up.

But sometimes it does. Like how Yuto, Yugo and Yuri only know of one summoning each while Yuya knows about all three but claims they came from some company called LDS and that it's super advanced stuff he hasn't learned.

Which Yuto thought sounded ridiculous, XYZ summoning was widely known in Heartland and he had never heard about LDS.

But there was also Yugo's talk about something called Tops and Commons like it was something everyone should know about. Or the rare times Yuri brought up stuff about his school, Academia. How everyone when they reached a certain age needed to attend, but neither Yugo or Yuya had heard about it. Yuri hadn't talked much about it since the first few days of their formed connection though.

It made his stomach feel like it had a heavy pit inside it. There was something unnerving thinking about it, and he was sure he wasn't the only one.

 _/You don't go to school at all?\_

 _~No? Is that weird?~_

 _[Most parents would want their children in school, I guess.]_

 _~I don't have parents. Both me and Rin live in a facility with a bunch of other kids.~_

 _/...Oh.\_

 _{I don't have any either.}_

 _[Yuri?]_

 _{Academia brings all kids of the proper age here. So it's not that unusual for orphans to be here, I'm just one of many.}_

Yuto stands infront of his door, feeling a little dazed over the new information.

 _/I've got mom but...\_

 _~But?~_

 _/Dad disappeared one year ago. No one knows what happened to him.\_

Yuto swore he could feel how sad Yuya felt. It was a loaded topic that he really couldn't tackle when he had class to get to. But he wanted to share his own as well.

 _[Mine are busy with work, so I live at a boarding school. I think it's been about seven months since I saw them.]_

He didn't mention the short calls that came every few weeks, meant to check up on him that were about 5 minutes of formalities. How the gnawing loneliness he would sometimes feel had evaporated since they connected.

How, despite being freaked out in the beginning, being able to talk with them every day, made him so, happy.

Yuto closed his eyes, feeling an odd pulsing, comforting and reassuring. He knew it was from Dark Rebellion, but he distantly realised a similar sensation was coming from where Yuya, Yugo and Yuri's voices and precenses came from in his mind.

He felt like he had come home after being away for a long, long time.

For a moment, he just stood there and took it in. Until,

 _/Ow! Aaahh! Break's over, I gotta go! I'll talk to you guys later!\_

Yuto snaps back to reality. He hears the sound of a bell and realises he's late to class.

 _[Shit. We'll talk later.]_ He turns down the hall and breaks into a run.

Yuri snickers, but it sounded less condescending than usual. _{What role model students you both are.}_

 _~Go! Go! Go! If you run you can make it!~_

 _/If I run in the halls, I'll get scolded!\_

 _~What?! That sounds stupid!~_

 _{If you have time to chat then you can get to class in time.}_

Yuto let's out a laugh, surprising himself.

He hoped they could always stay like this.

* * *

Not that long or super exciting, but it'll be a little while until we'll get to the dimension crossing.

But next chapter should be a teeny bit more exciting. And it's a Yuri centric one! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Lonely Poison Plant

/Yuya\

~Yugo~

[Yuto]

{Yuri}

* * *

 _~No, a bike and a D-Wheel are totally different! D-Wheel's are way cooler!~_

 _[What does them being cooler have to do with anything? They sound the same the way you describe those D-Wheel's.]_

 _~They're different!~_

Yuri keeps his eyes on the book he's reading the back of, only half paying attention to the conversation going on in his mind.

 _/But dueling on motorcycles sounds so cool! It sounds like Action Duels!\_

 _~Like. I. Saaaid, motorcycles and D-Wheels are different!~_

It's been a little over half a year since he acquired his 'headmates'. He got used to hearing voices other than his own in his head after about two weeks, quick to anyone else maybe but it had been fourteen days spent jumping and twitching whenever they spoke up.

At the beginning he'd thought they were some odd imaginary friends his mind had made up. He had read books about humans creating people in their minds to cope with loneliness and trauma.

Not that Yuri was lonely. That'd be silly.

He also wasn't actually allowed to read those books but it's not like anyone was stopping him. Even if he had to look up a few words in secret sometimes.

 _{Then what's the difference? I do hope you know, with the fuss you're making.}_

He put the book back on the bookshelf. It wasn't what he was looking for.

 _~Of course I do! D-Wheel's have a special engine and don't need fuel, so they're really useful but hard to take care of or make if you don't know what you're doing. They're a lot ligther than motorcycles so you can do some really cool tricks with them! There's also two types, but the only real difference is on one you can put your own duel disk in and do both riding and ground duels. And-~_

There was a silence from the other three as Yugo kept chattering about engines and programs and other stuff that Yuri could barely keep up with.

He glowered at the book in his hands before putting it back. He was at the end of the aisle and he still hadn't found what he was looking for.

Yuri wasn't expecting to find anything about the other dimensions, but he figured it was worth a shot. All the information they were given came from teachers and instructors, but no books were given out.

But that was about how the other Summoning methods worked, very basic information about the dimensions. Information that was easily debunked by some careful questions to his 'friends'.

As soon as the other three started talking about their summoning methods, or Yuya's lack of any extra deck summoning until recently, it hadn't taken long for the pieces to fall into place. And for his imaginary friends theory to fall through.

At first, he had considered going to the Professor. Maybe he would know why he could suddenly telepathically talk to three other kids from each of the dimensions.

But something had stopped him. Yuya's sudden question about wheter they were 'friends' had puzzled him enough, but they were all, interesting. Definitely more so than all the other kids, who were all weak nuisances who couldn't even look him in the eye. Much less argue with him or ask about his plants, his deck, or insist they duel someday.

Other kids didn't quell the murky clawing in his stomach.

Yuya, Yuto and Yugo weren't scared of him. So he wanted to keep them to himself, just for a little longer.

* * *

Yuri hadn't thought much of it when he'd been called to the Professor's office. He'd been reading in his garden, a little miffed to be disturbed but curious what the man wanted. Yuri didn't speak with him often, but still felt a sense of loyalty to the only person who had acknowledged him.

But he didn't trust him.

Akaba Leo was an intimidating man, standing in front of the large windows in the room, arms crossed behind his back. He didn't turn around when Yuri entered the office, so he stood silently in front of the desk and waited for the man to speak. He could hear Starve Venom rumbling in displeasure. The dragon always did that when Yuri was near the Professor, but he wasn't sure why.

"Yuri, we will soon begin the invasion of the XYZ dimension." Akaba Leo said without turning around

Yuri freezes at the words.

"With the start of the invasion, the Arc Area Project can finally begin. The students and officers will be gathering the necessary energy, starting in Heartland, but," the man finally turns to face the boy "I have a special mission for you, Yuri."

Yuri blinks in confusion. "Special mission? I'm not joining the rest?" Not that he'd mind, the thought of having to spend long stretches of time cramped together with other kids wasn't very pleasant.

Akaba Leo shakes his head. "Not quite. I want you to get the three crucial pieces for the project. We have one in our possession already." The man finally turns away from the window and walks to his desk, pressing a button to bring up a screen. It showed a young girl wearing a ponytail, about the same age as Yuri. He vaguely recognised her as someone he'd spotted running around the school with the Obelish Force chasing after her.

"This is one such piece, Serena. There are three others like her in each Dimension that are needed for the creation of our Utopia." Akaba Leo looks at him with piercing eyes. "Their whereabouts are still unknown, beyond a general area for us to search, but they should be discovered in due time. When that time comes, I want you to collect them. Whole."

Yuri nodded, slowly. The Professor was clearly entrusting him with an important mission, he should be happy. Overjoyed, even if not being allowed to card them would make carrying them back a little more difficult.

Yet Yuto's voice echoed in his head, talking about Heartland, the place he lived with those new friends he'd made a while back. The way he'd described it as always being illuminated by light, even at night when he went outside. A city that would turn into dust and rubble within mere weeks, surely.

The thought of Yuto being illuminated by purple light, face forever frozen in fear or confusion as a card was almost enough to make bile rise in his throat.

But Yuri swallowed it back, the Professor was still waiting for a response.

"Understood, Professor. I'll definitely succeed."

The man gave a sharp nod. "It will be a while still until it's time to collect them, when the energy required is near completion. You will receive more information then."

Yuri nodded. Questions wanted to crawl out of his throat, but he swallowed them back. But one thing, he needed to know.

"Professor? May I ask something, regarding the other Dimensions?"

Akaba Leo stared at him and Yuri had to hold back from squirming, but he finally responds. "What is it?"

"What are, the current plans for Standard and Synchro? Will we invade them as well?"

Yuri swallowed again, nails digging into his palms.

Leo frowns, taking a seat at his desk and clasping his hands on the wooden surface.

"Standard is not our enemy, we will not be invading there unless absolutely necessary."

It took all Yuri had to not show his relief at those words. Yuya was not in danger for now.

The man frowns, quiet for a few seconds. "As for Synchro, we have already planted an officer there."

Yuri freezes up again.

"They have risen to head of Security and have near complete control of the City, where the piece from Synchro should be. For now there is no need for an invasion, but should the energy acquired from Heartland not be enough, that will be our next stop."

Security. Yuri knew that term. Yugo mentioned it sometimes, running from men in uniform on D-Wheels who would only slightly hesitate to arrest him and his friend.

He'd also said how they had become much more aggressive as of late, being more violent and cracking down hard on anyone they thought was a criminal.

Yuri had to carefully let out the breath he'd unconciously been holding in.

He needed to go.

"I see. Thank you very much." He gave a small bow before turning on his heel to go and make a beeline for his room. Thank god he lived by himself, away from other kids.

"Yuri."

He stops in front of the door, hand on the handle.

"This is all for our Utopia. Failure is not an option when it's time to collect the pieces."

Yuri feels a shiver run down his spine. But he couldn't falter here.

He turns around, plasting a smile on his face.

"Of course not, Professor. Please don't worry, I will definitely complete whatever mission you give me."

Akaba Leo stares at him, Yuri holds his gaze, never letting his expression break. Finally, the man gives a nod.

"Good. You're dismissed, go get some rest for today."

"Yes sir."

He gives a small bow once again, turns back to the door, twists the handle and steps out of the large office. He walks leisurely down the hall, paying no mind to the Obelisk Force members walking by.

The walk to his room is a blur, students jumping out of his path at the sight of him barely registering. When he finally, finally enters his room, he closes and locks the door behind him and falls back on it with a thump and a large exhale.

Yuri slides down the wooden door to sit on the floor, feeling the tension slowly bleed out with every deep breath he takes.

Yuri pulled up his knees against his chest. Why was he this tense? He'd never felt this way before after talking to the Professor, or ever in his life, even.

Maybe because it finally hit him that the people who had so effortlessly become a part of his life in their odd, telephatic way, were in danger.

He had tried to ignore it, the reality that they could one day become enemies. That he may have to defeat them as a foe.

That he would one day realise a voice had turned silent, gone forever after being carded, or worse.

That all three lived in the Dimensions Academia would one day absorb and fuse into one, no matter the cost.

Yuri wrapped his arms around his legs, gripping them tightly and curling into himself.

If they had been fake maybe it would have been easier, and when Academia made their Utopia all of them could have become real.

But they weren't. And Yuri couldn't reach them.

 _~Hey Yuri, you okay?~_

He flinches.

 _{I'm fine.}_

 _~You sure? You know you can talk about it right?~_

 _{Who'd open up to you, Fusion. Go away for a while.}_

Yuri regretted the words the moment they left his thinkspace. He was being needlessly harsh, but he needed to gather his thoughts, and hearing the other's voices just made his hands tremble.

 _~What was that?! Here I'm worried about you, don't act like an asshole!~_

 _/Are you two arguing again?\_

 _[Is something the matter?]_

Shit. Yuya and Yuto just had to chose now to show up.

 _~Yuri's upset and being a brat about it.~_

 _/What? Are you okay, Yuri? Did something happen?\_

 _{I'm fine. Yugo's just overreacting. Leave me alone.}_

 _[Are you sure? You seem really upset.]_

Yuri buried his face in his knees, shoulders shaking. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't go back to talking with them as usual now, the reality of their situation too heavy. But they wouldn't leave him alone, nudging at him softly when he wouldn't answer them. It made his throat tighten and eyes burn.

It was too much.

 _~Wait, hey, are you crying?!~_

Yuri blinks, a couple tears escaping from his eyes. He rubbed at his face harshly, but the salty tears didn't stop.

 _{I'm not! Be quiet!}_

Yuri couldn't stop the tears flowing out of his eyes, the others worried questions only making it worse. His breathing was hitching and snot was running down his nose, clenching his teeth to hold back any pathethic noises that tried to escape.

The other three were quiet. He could hear Starve Venom rumble soothingly, trying to calm him down.

 _/...Hey Yuri, remember that time I told you all about dad?\_

Yuri pauses. Maybe Yuya was trying to goad him into talking. But he'd play along until his damn blubbering stopped.

 _{You mean when some kids were calling you names and bullying you?}_

Yuto hurriedly cuts in and Yuri got the feeling he knew what Yuya was up to. _[-I remember that, you were really upset back then, right?]_

 _/... Yeah, I was a crying mess. I don't remember why it had such an effect right then, but,\_ He pauses, seemingly hesitating. _/All of you talked to me, tried to calm me down and it all kinda, flew out.\_

 _~Hehe, we talked for a long time right? About all kinds of stuff.~_

 _/Right! It was a lot of fun! Talking about dad helped, but talking about other stuff as well was very, comforting I think?\_

 _{…Comforting?}_

 _/Yeah! Like, even though I told you all about it, we could still talk about whatever. It was really nice.\_

 _{So?}_ Yuri couldn't see the point of this.

 _/So, I mean, we wouldn't see you differently no matter what you told us!\_

Yuri felt a little sick.

 _{Somehow I doubt that.}_

 _~But you don't know that, do you? So why not just tell us instead of wondering if we would.~_

Yuri mutters a curse. At least he wasn't crying anymore, now he just felt drained.

Some part of him wanted to tell them. Tell them what he knew, but it could change everything. A niggling feeling told him they'd surely hate him.

Yuri buried his face in his knees again.

 _{...Would you hate me?}_

 _[What?]_

 _{I asked, would any of you ever hate me?}_

There was silence for a few agonizing moments. Yuri was clenching his fists so hard his nails was leaving little crescent shapes in his palms.

 _~Nah.~_

Yuri stills. _{Huh?}_

 _~I mean, if you did something really,_ _ **really**_ _bad I'd beat the shit out of you, but at this point I don't think I could hate any of you.~_

Yuri blinked.

 _/Hehe, same for me. And I still want all of you to come over and eat mom's pancakes!\_

Yuri's breath hitched.

 _[Me too. I can't imagine not having you all in my head chattering or just, being there. Hating you seems like a chore anyway, since we're technically together every waking hour.]_

 _/We're friends right? So you can tell us.\_

 _~Yeah! If there's a problem we'll fix it together! Since I actually like you guys.~_

 _[Pfft, how heartwarming. But, I feel the same.]_

 _/Me too! I really like you guys!\_

Yuri might be crying again, he wasn't sure. His body was shaking and he could feel a warmth spreading inside him.

He could meet them someday, he realises. When he was allowed to travel to other dimensions, he could go meet them.

He really, really wanted to.

But to do that, he needed to tell them.

Yuri sniffles before letting out a wet laugh.

 _{You guys are way too trusting.}_

He could hear them laughing at his half-hearted insult.

Yuri thinks back to the day the Professor first came up to him. They had just finished a training course, all students had been matched up against each other until one was left as the winner. Yuri had beaten all his opponets quickly and brutally and spent a lot of the lesson bored when all his classmates duels went on, waiting for when it was his turn again.

Yuri had been asked to stay behind by the teacher, only saying someone wanted to speak with him. The Professor had arrived not long after, complimenting his dueling skills, telling Yuri he would be a great asset to Academia in the future. That he was expecting great things from him.

He'd been happy, then. To be acknowledged by the highest authority in Academia. That he'd be of use.

But.

Yuya talked endlessly about 'Entertainment Duels', about how exciting Action Duels was and riding his monsters in duels, being one with them in battle. How he wanted to become a pro and make everyone smile, just like his dad did. But he still lost a lot of duels, but never lost his motivation to try again.

Yuto was the same, wanting others to be happy with dueling. But he had no clue how, with the eerie deck he ran and refused to change. How he only recently made friends with other kids where he lived. He talked about the night in Heartland, how beautiful it was, yet he sometimes admitted he wished for more darkness to curl up in. He talked a lot with them, sometimes meaningless chatter only meant to make sure they were still there.

Yugo could talk almost endlessly, going ahead with no tact but he could be surprisingly sharp sometimes. He would tell them about the D-Wheel he was building with his friend, Rin, with such excitement that it was almost contagious. He talked about the wind a lot, how he would sometimes sit on roofs or on the edge of roads not often used and just take in the open sky. How he wanted to teach all of them how to ride a D-Wheel when they met.

They never expected anything from him. But they wanted to be his friend.

And as Yuri sat in his room, he found he would sooner stab Akaba Leo in the neck and give him to his Predator Plants to chew on before he would even consider betraying or hurting them.

Yuri wiped his eyes, breathing softly in and out. He felt a little gross and tired and wanted to take a bath and go to bed.

But right now he had more important things to take care off.

 _{Are you guys free right now?}_

He could feel them perking up and he almost snickered at the badly hidden eagerness coming from them.

 _~Yup, got nothing important to do.~_

 _[Me neither.]_

 _/Same!\_

 _{Are all of you alone?}_

 _[Yes?]_

 _~Now I am.~_

 _/I will be soon.\_

Yuri bites back a smile.

He takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders for what he imagined to be a long conversation.

 _{I need to tell you something very important.}_

* * *

(Made some slight edits after going over it again, some weird sentence structures and misspeling, sorry about that :,o I don't have a beta-reader so catching stuff myself can be hard sometimes.)  
This was supposed to come out yesterday but it got to late and I couldn't finish in time, oops.

Yuri adds some perspective and I almost made myself sad writing this. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! :,)


	4. Children in a Big City

/Yuya\

~Yugo~

[Yuto]

{Yuri}

* * *

 _'It's not fair.'_

That's the thought Yugo came back to. No matter how much he sat thinking and pondering over what to do, what he _could_ do, he couldn't think of anything more than 'it's unfair'.

He wasn't a stranger to it, but he never dwelled like this. Everything about the City was unfair.

But this was different. Felt different.

A cold wind pulled at his shirt, making him shiver.

Yugo wrapped his arms around himself. He really should have put on his jacket before he climbed up on the roof, only a t-shirt didn't do much.

He sighed. He felt fidgety, sitting here and doing nothing. Everything Yuri had told them just a few hours ago kept tumbling around his head, along with Yuto's initial disbelief turning into silent panic that they had tried their best to soothe.

At least he and Yuya were in the same boat, not in the direct line of fire but skirting at the edge, though Yugo more so. Yuto was the one right in line of the incoming fire while Yuri stood behind it with no safe way out.

It had given him something to focus on, for a little while. But now he was alone, the others either sleeping or thinking like he was. They'd decided to think of what to do tomorrow, when all the information had gotten some time to settle.

He was intently aware now how much more dangerous the City was, from what little Yuri had been able to tell him. The highways above him felt less like the roads of freedom they had become ever since he and Rin had drove down them with their D-Wheel the first time.

Now they looked like bars when he looked up at them. Not to his goal of making a better life for him and Rin, but to getting away from this dimension. To meeting them.

Yugo buried his face in his knees. He hadn't given it much thought before, how they were going to meet, he just knew they would, someday, like it was a given. But now, it seemed much harder than he'd thought it'd be.

If he focused up, up and outwards, following the way the others had come from that first day they ever talked. He didn't notice it at first, but he could almost make out the direction they came from. Where he could feel their presence, the same as the ones in his head, but they were lighter than any person he'd met. He wondered if that was because they weren't physically next to each other.

Not that it mattered much. He couldn't travel there anyway.

The sound of steps stirred him out of his thoughts.

"Really, what are you doing out here in only a shirt? You're gonna catch a cold."

Rin was standing behind him, hands on her hips and smiling.

He gave a tentative smile back. "You're not much better clad either." She was only wearing her usual short-sleeved shirt and pyjama pants.

Rin huffed, turning up her nose in an exaggerated manner. "No, but that's why I brought this." She walked towards him and unfolded the blanket she'd been carrying. It was the extra one from their bedroom.

She sat down beside him and draped the blanket across their shoulders. Yugo grabbed the fabric and pulled it closer over his chest, curling up a little. Yugo gives a small shiver as he slowly warmed up. Rin was always a little chilly to the touch, but when they were close enough like this, sitting with their shoulders touching, he could feel her body warmth. It was nicer than it usually was.

Rin pushed at him slightly with her shoulder. "What's on your mind? You don't usually sit out to brood this long."

Yugo pouts, glancing to the side. "I'm not brooding..."

Rin raises an eyebrow. "You're sitting outside, at night, in the cold with no jacket on. You've also been out for hours."

Yugo blinks, mouth forming an 'o'. Had he really been out that long?

He chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry."

Rin hums, sounding less than amused, but then sighs. "Just dress warmly when you sleep tonight and tomorrow. I don't want you to get sick."

Yugo smiles. "Got it."

They fall into a silence, looking up at the night sky. You couldn't see them very well with all the light coming from the Tops, but that was pretty in it's own way, shining on the giant pillars and buildings you could see from below.

"Still cold?" Rin asks.

"Nah, this is good." Yugo curled up against her, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Thanks, Rin."

She rested her head against his, smiling. "You're welcome. Do you want to share what's got you so down?"

Yugo hummed, thinking.

If he tried telling her, would she even believe him? He'd tried telling Rin before, but she'd waved him off as being silly and hadn't taken him seriously. Back then it had stung a little, but now he didn't blame her, he couldn't exactly prove he could talk with three other people in his head.

Now other dimensions and war and kidnapping had entered the mix and he had nothing but his own word to back it up.

But he, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri was gonna talk about it. They would figure out what to do.

"Not right now, maybe some other time. It's, complicated."

When he understood everything better, had a better idea of what to do, he'd tell her, and make sure she believed him.

If their home was in possible danger of invasion, he wanted Rin to know.

He could feel Rin frown from where she was leaning against his head. "If it's that complicated, you don't think I can help you figure it out?"

Yugo smiled. "Not right now, but later, definitely. The first part is kinda on me for now." _Me and three others,_ he thinks but doesn't voice.

He rises from his spot on Rin's shoulder to look her in the eye. "I'll definitely tell you, I promise. Just trust me for now," he said, grinning.

Rin still looks a bit unsure, but she eventually sighs and gives a wry smile. "I guess I have to start doing that at some point don't I?" She ignores his 'hey!' and continues, "Just, don't leave me out, okay?"

Yugo pauses, before frowning. "Of course I won't! You're my best friend aren't you?!" He shifts and hurriedly wrapped his arms around her, bringing his end of the blanket with him and making them look like an odd cocoon. "Don't say stupid stuff like that, I'd never leave you out."

Rin pauses for a second before letting out a laugh and tightly hugging him back. "Sorry, sorry! I won't do it again."

"You better not," Yugo mutters.

"...Thank you."

Yugo tightens the hug, before moving away. He manages to look offended for a mere two seconds before he lets out a sneeze. He pouts at Rin's barely held back snicker. Rin untangles herself out of the blanket and drapes it over Yugo's shoulders.

"Let's go back inside," Rin said, standing up and holding out a hand.

"Ugh, alright." Yugo sniffles. He grabs hold of the blanket so it won't slip off and grabs Rin's hand.

Thoughts about the upcoming hellfire licking at their heels still lingered. But he felt a little less alone. Like it was going to turn out okay.

"Hey, Rin?" Yugo says as they walk to the ladder leading down the roof.

"Hmm?"

"...Thanks."

Rin grips his hand tighter. "Don't mention it."

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

"Of course."

 _~I don't know if you guys are still awake but,~_

 _~I think we'll be okay. As long as we're together, even like this.~_

* * *

Yugo centric chapter this time! And Rin gets to make her first appearance.

I'm planning on trying to update weekly, sometime on the weekend. If you liked the chapter please leave a review, it makes me really happy!


	5. Treasure

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Lightning and sparks covered the field as Dark Rebellion clashed against his opponents monster, disappearing in particles of light. Yuto raised his arms to shield his eyes from the wave of dust that raised from the grounds, the wind pulling at his uniform and hair. Maybe he should look into getting goggles of some sort.

Dark Rebellion flew back and settled beside him as a screen appeared above them, declaring him the winner.

Yuto let's out a big breath.

"Thank you for the duel," Yuto says, giving a small nod to his opponent before turning around and walking off the field. He tries to ignore the eyes that follow his back.

It was a sunny day, almost no wind except what was coming from students dueling in the outside fields in the parks. People milled about, children and teenagers watching the ongoing duels or just walking by. He could hear people cheering for their friends and laughter at misplays and bad draws.

 _'It won't last much longer.'_

"Hardly a duel worth saying thanks for, Yuto."

Yuto stops in his track and looks up. He'd reached the stands and benches.

"Shun."

His best friend was sitting on a bench, arms crossed and giving him a look Yuto couldn't read. He stands up to his full height and dusts off his pants.

"Are we leaving?"

Yuto nods, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, you didn't need to wait for me."

"You took two turns to finish, barely enough to be classified as waiting." Shun throws Yuto his bag, putting his own over his shoulder and starting to walk to the exit.

Yuto catches it, jogging slightly so they walked side by side. "Still..."

Shun goes quiet, looking straight ahead with a frown. He's usually frowning, but the look in his eyes was more contemplating.

Yuto glances away. He felt a little guilty over having Shun tag along to his duels, even though he didn't ask him to, Shun just came along and waited until it was over. They had never been very long to begin with, but now they rarely last longer than five turns. Maybe he shouldn't expect more of people calling him names or trying to talk tough, so far they had all turned out to be more bark than bite.

They stop at the entrance of the park. Heartland was calm at this time of day, but still lively in its own way. Colourful lights were still shining, but not as striking as at night. Teenagers in school uniforms and young children walk along, chatting and laughing, with the occasional cleaning robot going by.

"Does it bother you?" Shun asks.

"Hm?"

"The name calling. Idiots trying to rile you up. You didn't seem bothered by it before, but now you're reacting and even provoking them..." Shun finally looks down at him. He was so tall compared to Yuto, nearly a whole head taller, but he never seemed intimidating, eyes always soft except for when he was angry. Now wasn't any different, but there was a streak of worry there now. "Did something happen?"

Yuto almost wants to laugh.

He'd found out his first friends were literal dimensions away and that his own was going to be invaded and destroyed. His home to be reduced to rubble in mere months.

He couldn't sit still with that. Time that he could spend in his everyday life, with the friends he knew felt like it was going too fast.

Yuto looked away from Shun's face and clenched his fist onto the bag over his shoulder.

He felt too weak. He wanted to protect his friends, who had no idea of what was to come. If he could he wanted to fight off the army of Academia soldiers by himself, so no one else had to.

But Yuto wasn't that stupid.

But he was angry.

And he had nowhere to aim it. Nothing to channel it into, except his duels.

It was not the type of dueling Yuto wanted to do, but he didn't want to risk snapping at his friends. And he needed to get stronger, even if opponents with the same threat as schoolyard bullies weren't much of a challenge.

Yuto sighs, but he turns to face Shun again, hoping the smile on his face didn't look too plastic.

"Sorry for worrying you, Shun. But I'm fine, honestly. I've just been, feeling a little restless."

Shun raises an eyebrow. "Restless?"

"Yeah, like I could be stronger than I am right now." It wasn't a lie, but not the whole truth either.

Shun didn't look entirely convinced, but he sighed. "I'll buy that for now. But you won't be getting any stronger with opponents like that and you'll probably get into trouble sooner or later. Duel me more often instead."

"Huh?" Yuto blinks.

"And Ruri, she's starting to come very close to beating me and she'd be happy to duel you."

"Um-"

"Kaito as well, I don't think you can beat him yet. Sayaka and Allen are good alternatives too, they can do with some improvement."

Yuto feels a genuine smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah. Thank you, Shun."

* * *

 _[We need a plan.]_

 _~Plan?~_

 _[Yeah. If Heartland is going to be invaded I, I want to be prepared. As much as I can be.]_

 _{Sounds logical.}_

 _/I'll help as much as I can!\_

 _~Me too!~_

 _{You two won't only assist you know. Academia will probably have business in your dimensions as well.}_

 _~I'll beat them up as soon as they show up!~_

 _{You'll be run down eventually, we need to think about this.}_

 _[Right. Yuri, will you help?]_

 _{Obviously.}_

* * *

About four months. That's the estimate Yuri gave him, based on things he'd seen and heard.

Before he would have thought it was a long time. When it was counting down to a war it seemed like so, so little time.

It took a while for the situation to sink in. Yuto didn't believe it at first, it probably won't sink in until the first Academia soldiers arrive in Heartland.

But Yuri wouldn't lie. His morals were slightly skeeved but he had never lied to them.

But they couldn't plan for much this early on. They had too little information on everything.

* * *

 _{Seems they'll appear near the middle and a little down south in the city, something called the square. You know what that refers to?}_

 _[Yeah, it's like the center of the city. It's, usually very populated...]_

 _{I wouldn't recommend fighting the soldiers off right where they are. Just grab who you don't want carded and run.}_

 _/Yuri!\_

 _{What?}_

 _/That's horrible!\_

 _{But it's the truth.}_

 _/Yeah but, you can say it in a nicer way!\_

 _~I kinda agree with Yuri.~_

 _/Yugo!\_

 _~No I mean, in a desperate situation you kinda have to know what's important. Dallying too long only means trouble.~_

 _{Huh, you can actually be right sometimes, what a shock.}_

 _~What was that-~_

 _/ANYWAY, Yuto, what do you think?\_

 _[...I don't know. I thought first to go somewhere safe, but thinking about it, I don't know where a 'safe place' would be. People will panic and I can't predict where everyone will run to.]_

 _{Hmm, that's true. I think you will have to deal with that when the time comes.}_

 _[Yeah...]_

 _/Good luck, Yuto.\_

 _~It'll be fine! We'll be right here the whole time!~_

 _[…Thank you. I'll definitely make it out okay.]_

 _/You better!\_

* * *

In the end, they couldn't do much for the first wave. Yuri wasn't part of it and the information was only for the people going. He was going on a special mission, but that wouldn't start until much later. They'd talk more about it when they knew who the target was.

When they knew what Heartland would look like after the first attack, they could plan ahead.

It was a normal day, but Yuto felt like he was going to throw up from anxiety. He was on the way to meet with Shun and Ruri, they were all supposed to hang out today. But he knew it wouldn't turn out like that.

 _{Yuto.}_

He stops.

 _{They just left. It'll be any minute now.}_

Yuto curses, starting to run. He hadn't reached the siblings yet. He'd made plans with them today just so they could stay together, but the time had been pushed back, they weren't even supposed to be here when the attacks began.

Sayaka, Allen, and Kaito were supposed to be at the duel stadium. They were all going to meet there. Now it's too late.

He hears commotion up ahead. Then the screams began.

 _Shit shit shit shit_

Yuto pushes his legs to go faster, trying to spot Shun's tall figure, or Ruri's long hair and bright dress.

People are starting to run away, pushing him away from his path. He can hear duels starting. He silently prays neither Kurosaki decides to duel with them.

 _Where are you, where are you_

He sweeps his eyes over the crowd, people are pushing and running and screaming. He jerks to a stop at the mass of purple light shining a ways away from him.

Little glowing cards catch the wind, floating over his head. One lands at his feet.

Yuto recognizes that face.

His breathing is getting faster. He thinks he's going to throw up.

 _~Yuto, breathe. You have to keep moving.~_

He snaps back to reality. Someone slams into him, nearly sending him to the ground, but he regains his balance and starts running again, pushing down the fear and anger threatening to claw out.

 _[Thank you, Yugo.]_

 _~Don't go anywhere you're not absolutely sure there are two exits unless it's an emergency. Save your energy when you can, but don't let your guard down.~_

 _/Be careful, Yuto.\_

 _[I will.]_

 _~We'll be here the whole time.~_

 _I'm not alone_

With that thought filling his mind, giving him confidence and security he severely needed, he pushes his legs to go faster.

Yuto looks around frantically until he finally spots a tall figure and a wave of black hair. They're dueling three people in blue uniforms.

 _Fuck_

"Shun, Ruri!" he screams loudly.

Yuri's words echo in his head.

 _{The Obelisk Force is a bunch of elite soldiers of Academia. They all wear blue uniform jackets and masks. They're supposed to be some of the strongest in Academia, but once you know how to counter their decks, they're easy to take down. They all use the same type and work in groups of at least three, where they can deal the most damage thanks to card effects and traps.}_

Ruri is blown back by an enemy attack, skidding on the ground as her life ticks down to a measly 600. Yuto runs forward to help her up. Shun whirls around, locking eyes with him. It's the first time Yuto has seen him with that expression. Worry, confusion, anger and fear is all there and it makes him feel sick.

"Yuto?" He looks down. Ruri looks pale, frowning and gritting her teeth as she struggles to stand back up. He supports her as Shun comes running over and takes her other side.

Their opponents are grinning maliciously, laughing at their struggling. It makes Yuto's anger flare back up.

He can still hear screams all around, but now laughter has joined it. People's terrified screams are abruptly cut off, but the mocking laughter continues, even increasing.

He doesn't know where Kaito or Allen and Sayaka are. If they're even alive.

For a moment, Yuto sees red. He's filled with burning hot anger as he activates his duel disk and joins the duel. Their opponents mockingly ask if he wants to join his friends as cards, one of them waving one in the air before flipping it to the ground.

Ruri looks like she's going to throw up. Shun looks like he would tear the men apart with his bare hands if given the chance.

 _~Yuto, don't forget what's important.~_

He pauses, glancing to the side. Shun and Ruri are clutching at each other like a lifeline. Their faces look pale and filled with dread and anger.

"Shun, Ruri."

They jerk, but turn to him. Their eyes are dark, but they haven't lost their spark yet.

"We'll make it out."

He grits his teeth, thinking of escape routes, how to get in contact with the others, how to save as many as he's able without sacrificing his closest treasures.

He closes his eyes, draws on the steadiness the other three always gives him.

Heartland and the people he can call friends are his treasure in this world.

And dragons don't take people touching their treasure without permission lightly.

 _We'll definitely make it out._

Yuto draws.

Dark Rebellion's cry soon echoes across the city.

* * *

Whew, heartland invasion has finally arrived. And we've still got quite a ways to go until we reach the start of the series, believe it or not :,D Hope you enjoyed the chapter, but tell me what you think if you want!


	6. Children of Academia

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Steps echoed down the empty hall, stopping to turn a corner, then another and stopping. Heavier footsteps came closer, then faded away as they continued down the corridor.

A beat passed, another, then the one set of footsteps left the corner and continued down the hall and up two stairs. Ahead was an archway, leading to a rarely used balcony overlooking a field.

The field was filled with rows and rows of students, standing alert with straight backs and duel disks at the ready to be used. A handful of adults was present, standing next to each row of students. The Professor was standing at the front, facing the students who only awaited his signal to teleport to the XYZ Dimension. To begin the first invasion.

Serena peered over the railing, hoping no one would see her standing up here. She wasn't actually allowed to be here. They were probably worried she'd slip away among the crowd and hitch a ride to XYZ. But this balcony was hardly ever used and right above the students watching their comrades depart.

Serena grit her teeth, feeling frustration swirl in her chest.

She should be down there. She was more than capable, she had the power to fight. The Professor had said so himself.

Yet she was made to stay back, her wish to be put at the forefront of the invasion rejected and ignored.

The railing was cold under her hands, rough against her fingers as her grip tightened against the stone.

Why was she the only one-?

Movement to her left interrupted her thoughts, making her tense. She mentally cursed, she hadn't even checked if anyone else was here.

She glanced to the side to look at her unwanted company.

It was a boy. He looked to be the same age as her, but she had never seen him before. Granted Serena didn't bother to remember faces or names, the only people she met was the restricting adults and the students she was allowed to fight or challenged on her own. None worth remembering, all way to weak to be called duelists.

But she thinks she would have remembered this one. The boy wore normal clothes, not the uniform all students were meant to wear, not even a jacket. Short hair in purple and pink colours reminded her of some of the flowers in the occasional pots and plantations scattered across Academia that she never paid much mind to. What she could see of his face from this distance was, tight. He seemed to be frowning, staring down at the troops without really seeing them.

He didn't even look in her direction, even as she turned fully to frown at him. Had he even noticed she was here? And why was he wearing casual clothes instead of the uniform? The only other person Serena knew who was allowed to wear something else was, her. But she wore her's with pride, she felt like if she didn't wear it, she would give in to the expectation placed on her to sit still and wait for something she wasn't even told about.

"Hey, you."

The boy gave a small, barely noticeable twitch at her voice. She saw him glance over and then turned his head to look her in the eye.

 _'His eyes are a similar colour to his hair'_ , Serena mentally noted. But there was nothing soft and delicate about them, like the flowers they reminded her of. They were sharp, but looking passively at her like she wasn't worth his time. It felt like she was looking a predator who wasn't sure if she was worth the effort to kill in the eye. It made irritation rise in her.

"What are you doing up here?" she said, despite her irritation, putting her hands on her hips.

One pink, kinda bushy eyebrow raised at her question as a small smirk formed.

"Is that how you ask people you don't know questions? Out of the blue and bluntly? How crude." The boy gave a sigh, as if upset.

Serena bristled. "Just answer the question!"

The boy looks like he's laughing at her now, leaning back on his heel with his hands clasped behind his back. "Why should I?"

"Because I asked!" She took a few steps forward in anger, fists clenching.

He's definitely laughing at her now, hand covering his mocking smile and magenta eyes filled with mirth. "So just because you asked me a question, despite being rude and disturbing me, I am obliged to answer? How illogical."

Serena was full on glaring at the boy now. Any thoughts comparing him to flowers now gone with the wind. He was more like the thorny bushes with poison berries that grew beside the roads.

She was about to fire back when the Professor's voice boomed out over the chattering students below, making both Serena and the boy in front of her freeze up. She looks down again to see the Professor give the signal for the troops to move out.

Everyone is quiet as many duel disks activate and the rows and rows of students disappear in flashes of light.

Serena let's out a sigh. But her eyes flash with determination. Even if she wasn't included in the first attack, she will definitely get out there and fight. She will be acknowledged by the Professor.

She looks over to the irritating boy who has gone silent next to her. She wondered if he was left behind as well and had come here to watch them depart like she had. But the look he had on his face made her stop.

The mocking laughter was gone from his face like it had never been there to begin with. His skin had turned a sickly colour, narrowed eyes dark and seemingly absent, despite them being locked at the now empty field.

"H-hey... are you okay?" She slowly raised a hand to, touch his arm? Pat his shoulder? Is that what people do when they want to comfort someone?

The boy twitches again but turns to look at her with the same passivity. But she can see cracks now, how tired he suddenly looks.

But then he glances down at her hand still hovering awkwardly in the air and _snorts_ in disdain _._

She's pretty sure her mouth is hanging open, her hand almost quivering from anger. Here she was being _worried_ and this _damn brat_ has the _nerve-_

Serena clenches her hand into a fist and is about to cuss him out with every swear word she knows, until the boy's eyes suddenly shoot down to the field.

Before she can react, an arm wraps around her neck, hand covering her mouth and pulling her down out of view from the ground floor.

Her hands shoot up to wrench his arm off her, but pauses when she hears the sound of voices and hurried footsteps from below. She can't make out any words, but she could swear she heard her name. She sees the boy put a finger in front of his mouth, eyes pinned on her as if daring her to make any noise.

The Obelisk Force, Serena realises. Now that the troops have gone, finding her again must have turned into a priority, especially with the Professor there. She slowly nods and removes the hand covering her mouth.

She jerks at the sound of footsteps and voices coming closer. She's about to fly up from her position and run before the exit is blocked, but a tug at her sleeves makes her stop at a crouch. Looking over, the boy is frowning and shaking his head silently, then nods towards the second doorway she hadn't even noticed.

She looks at him for a second, but gives a brisk nod and together they crawl to the other exit.

They finally reach the door and once behind the wall and out of sight, they stand up. Purple eyes flick out the door, and Serena is momentarily taken aback by the look of pure _anger_ that passes across his eyes. But it's gone when she blinks, and then she feels a tug at her sleeve again before the boy starts half-running down the hall, Serena following.

She doesn't know why she's following this, this brat, but he seems to know what he's doing. And she would only get lost trying to navigate this part of the grounds, she's never been here before.

They run down hallway after hallway and she almost loses track of which way she came from, until they finally come to a stop at a crossing of three hallways.

She recognises this area, but she had no idea you could come here from that balcony. Glancing at the odd boy who helped her out despite being so infuriating, she wondered not for the first time what his deal was.

"I'll be leaving now." He says, turning to look at her. He's looking pale again. "I'd rather not be caught with you and be accused of helping you escape."

Serena blinks at him. "But you did help me."

"Yes. But they don't need to know that," he says as if it's obvious. "As long as you don't say anything it should be fine. But I'm not bailing you out again, too much of a hassle."

Serena glares at him, but it's not as heated as before. "Whatever. Like I'd sell out anyone who lends me a hand, even if they're annoying. But, thanks anyway."

He studies her for a moment, before stepping up next to her and pointing down the right hallway. "That way leads to a dead end, if you don't feel like jumping out a window." He points to the left. "If you go that way you'll eventually end up at the courtyard. I hope you're not dumb enough to need advice on which way to go."

Serena nods, ignoring the insult this time. She hadn't noticed before, but she was just a little bit taller than him. He steps back and she gives him a questioning look.

"Well then, take care not to get caught." He turns on his heel and he goes straight down the hall.

"Ah, wait!"

He pauses and peers a questioning gaze over his shoulder. "Still something you need? I'm kind of in a hurry."

Serena opens her mouth, then closes it, frowning. "Name," she finally mumbles out.

He blinks in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"W-what's your name?"

Magenta eyes consider her silently as Serena fights not to squirm. This was a terrible idea, why would she ask for this infuriating person's name?

But, she had never talked to anyone in this, casual way. She never bothered to try, she had more important matters to think about. They didn't seem too different.

"Yuri."

Serena jerks back to reality. "Huh?"

"My name is Yuri." He's silently laughing at her again, goddamnit.

Yuri gives a twitch, face contorting in a grimace for a second before it goes away. "Sorry to cut our bonding experience short, but I really need to go now. Don't get caught too fast, Serena." He turns to head back down the hall again, this time waving over his shoulder.

She waves back silently until Yuri's gone around another corner and is out of sight, then starts walking to the courtyard.

It's only when she's started hearing other students chattering that she realises something.

 _'How the hell did he know my name?'_

* * *

Fun fact, this was originally a short segment at the beginning of a chapter where Yuya would finally return as a pov character. Instead it turned into this, first chapter with no additional yuboys talking!

But yes, next chapter will be yuya centered, i'm quite excited for what he's gonna be doing in the future, maybe not immediately in the next chapter, but soon enough!

Thank you for reading!


	7. Guiding Pendulum

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yuya was sitting on the bridge railing, gazing out at the large stadium over the water through his goggles. The sky was turning a blazing orange, colouring the clear water and making it sparkle. There was a nice breeze blowing, rustling his hair and jacket and creating tiny waves in the water.

Few people passed by here at this time of day, making it a nice place for some privacy. The only one who went to look for him here was mom, but she knew when he needed to talk or time to himself.

In recent years, a third alternative had been added.

 _/Um, favourite food?\_

 _[Really, Yuya? That's what you're going with?]_

 _/What? It's normal to know isn't it?\_

 _~Yeah, when you're 6 and adults want you to introduce yourself to other kids.~_

 _/Oh shoosh, just tell me. Mine is mom's pancakes.\_

 _{The ever rumoured breakfast food, how surprising.}_

 _/Haha. What about you then?\_

 _{Fruit.}_

 _~Fruit? That's it?~_

 _{Yes, 'that's it'. I like the fresh taste and there's a lot of variety. But spicy food is a close second.}_

 _/What kind of combination is that?!\_

 _[It's, surprisingly fitting, when I think about it.]_

 _~Sounds like a weird combo.~_

Yuya lets a small laugh escape him. When he was alone he didn't need to watch himself from letting reactions slip out, as he was prone to do sometimes. He still did his best to hold it back, he got enough looks as it was. He could save making faces and talking to himself when he was home, alone.

He thought once that he could do that in the empty dueling school, but after being questioned by a worried Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Shuzo why he was mumbling to himself in the training room or the empty duel arena, he quickly stopped. He'd had to say he did it to talk himself up and sort his thoughts out, which wasn't entirely untrue, but he still sweated buckets during that conversation.

At least the other three got a laugh out of it.

 _[I think I miss eating meat the most. Meat skewers was always a personal favourite.]_

 _/Ooh, that's a good one.\_

 _~What's a skewer?~_

 _[It's smaller bits of barbequed meat put on a stick. Usually, you get some grilled vegetables on it too. Chicken can be used as well.]_

 _~Shit, that sounds really good... damnit don't go and make me hungry!~_

 _[Haha, sorry.]_

 _/What about you, Yugo? Got a favourite food?\_

 _~Hmmm... soup?~_

 _[Soup?]_

 _~Maybe? It's easy to make, not very hard to make it taste good and you don't need many ingredients either.~_

 _/Yeah but, is it your favourite?\_

 _~If it has some good things in it and some bread, then yeah I guess.~_

 _{Wasn't the question what we best liked to eat? Not what was easiest to get ahold of.}_

 _/Right, right.\_

 _[If that was the case my answer would have been canned food.]_

 _~It's not like I've eaten a bunch of really yummy stuff!~_

 _/...Fine, you're excused.\_

Yuya found himself thinking that if mom ever met them she'd go dizzy from mothering.

* * *

Ever since he got them, Yuya had used his goggles to shield himself. Putting a wall of tinted glass between him and the rest of the world when it became too much to deal with had become such a habit he did it without thinking, hands automatically reaching up to pull them down. They were almost like a safety blanket, making him feel secure. Hiding his tears and emotions.

Now, when he was upset and only wanted to talk to Yuto, Yugo and Yuri, he would pull down his goggles, sit or lay back somewhere in a quiet place and just, focus on their talking. Their presence. It was calming and made him forget about his anxieties for a while.

He felt bad, at first, talking about his problems. They felt so, insignificant in comparison to theirs now. He hadn't told the others, they had more important stuff to worry about than his problems. To think about. But sometimes he couldn't help it, sometimes they were the only ones he wanted to talk to. They never turned him away, never made him feel like a bother.

Maybe that was because he couldn't see their faces, how worry and concern would cloud their features, maybe even get angry and frustrated. Like Yuzu and Gongenzaka would.

He wanted his friends to smile, not worry about him.

But them, especially. When they meet, Yuya wants to see them smile. He wants to be able to make them smile.

So he had to get stronger. More and more than he is now.

* * *

 _/What are you guys looking at?\_

 _~Piles of scrap.~_

 _[Cans.]_

 _{A nuisance.}_

Yuya blinks. _/Nuisance?\_

 _{A girl I ran into some time ago who now insist on challenging me to duels all the time because I beat her once.}_

 _~...Hey guys, I think we should look out for flying pigs, Yuri has made a friend without mind-link bullshit.~_

 _{Your sense of humour astounds me.}_

Yuya holds back a snicker, hiding a smile behind his hand. He was in public after all.

 _/I'm looking at a computer screen that tells me nothing useful or what I don't already know.\_

He could feel Yuto and Yuri perk up in attention. Yuya didn't know when he had first been able to tell their reactions despite not seeing them. Maybe their link was growing stronger in some way. They could already hold separate conversations without one of the others hearing, or block each other out completely. That had yet to see any use though.

 _[Researching something, Yuya?]_

 _/Yeah. I'm at LDS. Trying to see if they had any info on where they got their summoning methods. Trying being the keyword.\_

 _[Isn't that dangerous? You could be right in enemy territory for all we know.]_

 _/It's fine. I'm in the library, which is open to everyone to use at this time, even if you're not a student. There's people everywhere and it's not like I'm in a secluded corner.\_

 _{That doesn't make it any less risky.}_

 _/Guys, I'm fine. It's not exactly accepted to just grab anyone for questioning. Plus...\_

Yuya leaned back in the chair he was sitting on, looking up at the stupidly high ceiling. He wasn't exactly comfortable with sharing this but, they were obviously worried about him. It wasn't like they could come and bust him out after all.

 _/I feel useless, just sitting here and waiting for stuff to happen. If I can find out what the deal with there suddenly being summoning methods we didn't have until just a few years ago is, maybe we can learn something new.\_

There was silence after that. Yuya started to tilt back and forth on his chair, earning him a few irritated stares from the ones closest to him.

 _~I getcha. I feel the same sometimes.~_

He could hear a sigh from Yuri.

 _{I guess if you can figure out some shady details, the better for all of us.}_

 _[Just, be careful ok?]_

 _/Of course.\_

 _{So, did you find anything out?}_

Yuya sits properly again, laying down on the desk with a sigh, glowering at the screen.

 _/No. I tried to see how they discovered the summoning methods, but it only says LDS developed them. They were the first to come out with cards and it's students the first to use it competitively, making it the biggest Duel School there is. But everything else is about details, like strong duelists who used specific summons and stuff. Nothing useful.\_

 _[I see...]_ Yuto sounded thoughtful.

 _{That really doesn't tell us much.}_

 _/Yeah, sorry.\_

He hadn't expected much, coming here. It was obvious LDS had some connection or knowledge to the other dimensions, but the question still was if they were allied with Academia or not.

 _[Don't apologize, Yuya. You've done a lot already.]_

It didn't feel like he had, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Yuya stood up from his chair with a sigh and walked out of the library. He was hard pressed to even call it one, with how modern it was.

 _{Still, if we could find out if Akaba Leo has some connection to your dimension, we could plan how you should move safely and what to do.}_

 _~Gaaah! This is so irritating!~_

The resulting silence from them said enough. It really was frustrating knowing so little. But,

Yuya frowns. The name 'Akaba' sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it.

"Akaba, Akaba..." Yuya muttered silently, arms behind his head as he reached the entrance hall. glancing around the room. His eyes stop at the large, holographic images on the walls, filled with info about Fusion, Synchro and XYZ classes or how to sign into LDS.

Others had pictures of what he guessed was notorious duelists at the school. Yuya didn't pay much attention to that. A large image of Strong Ishijima made him quickly avert his eyes with a frown.

But another image caught his eye as he looked away. He glanced back, only to abruptly stop in the middle of the lobby.

One holograph, a little larger than the others, showed an image of a teenager, not that older than Yuya from what he could tell. He had short, gray hair, glasses and a long, red scarf over his shoulder.

But that wasn't what made Yuya stop in his tracks. It was the text beside the image.

AKABA REIJI

LDS CORPORATION'S PRESIDENT

* * *

 _~So let me get this straight.~_

Yuya could almost feel the gears working in Yugo's head.

 _~The president of that SLD-whatever in your dimension, that released all the summoning methods that exists in our dimensions in yours, is called Akaba Reiji, and took over after his dad, who's called Akaba Leo, who has the same name as the Professor guy at Academia, the same person who started this whole war for some reason.~_

 _/Yep, pretty much.\_

Yugo's softly whispered _'what the fuuuck'_ felt like a perfect description of Yuya's current mood.

He was laying down on the floor of the You Show action field, arms and legs spread out and staring blankly up at the sky.

Maybe he should have suspected this possibility. Thinking about it, the Professor, the driving force of the war, and the president of the company that introduced the other dimensions summoning methods to his dimension being related wasn't that much of a stretch.

But everyone hated captain hindsight so he tried not to dwell on it.

 _/So, what now?\_

The others had turned silent, thoughtful and mulling over the new information.

 _~The last names could just be a coincidence?~_

 _[I highly doubt that, honestly.]_

 _{And even if it could be just a coincidence, not acting like they're working together could be potentially reckless, not to mention dangerous.}_

 _~Uugh, yeah true. You gonna be alright, Yuya?~_

 _/I think so. The president of LDS has no reason to go after a middle schooler from a tiny duel school.\_

At least, he thought so. Despite his best efforts, Yuya's current win percentage hadn't improved that drastically, no thanks to his panic whenever Odd Eyes was about to be destroyed in battle. Protecting his dragon at all cost despite it costing him duels many times isn't the best of strategies but,

He had a feeling. That Odd Eyes couldn't be destroyed yet, that he was waiting for something.

 _/This situation feels weird.\_

 _[What do you mean?]_

 _/When I went to LDS or dueled with people from there, they didn't seem very, soldier-like? I've never met one but, going from your descriptions of the duelists from Academia, they're pretty different. Some are a little stuck-up, but most duel fairly and proudly, eager for a challenge and improvement.\_

He put his arms behind his head, frowning up at the blue sky.

 _/If they were being prepared to fight in a war, wouldn't they be a little more, disciplined?\_

 _~True.~_

 _{...I recall talk of an intruder coming here just a couple years ago. A kid, from what little I heard, and someone who seemed to know the Professor.}_

Yuya tensed. _/You don't mean...?\_

 _{It's just a thought, nothing concrete right now. Maybe Serena would know, she met them that day.}_

 _[Serena?]_

 _{The nuisance. That I just sent flying, whoops.}_

Yuya let's out a snort. He hears Yugo laughing over their link, making him smile.

"Yuya!"

He startles and looks up. Yuzu is standing in the doorway, frowning and panting slightly.

"What are you doing in here?! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Yuzu says.

Yuya grins sheepishly, sitting up and crossing his legs. "Sorry sorry, I needed to think a little."

A puzzled look passes over Yuzu's face, along with something else he couldn't name before she sighs. "Oh whatever, someone is here to see you."

He blinks in confusion. "To see me?"

Yuzu's face turns a little tight. "I don't know what he wants but, just come to the meeting room."

A little confused, Yuya stands up and follows her out.

 _/Sorry, gotta tap out, something's come up.\_

 _{I've got some info to wrangle out, but we'll talk later.}_

 _[It's my time for patrols, anyone who can keep me company?]_

 _~Me, I've only got some part maintenance to do.~_

 _/Talk to you guys later.\_

* * *

Yuya skids on the ground from his opponents attack, struggling to stay on his feet and managed to at least only fall to one knee.

Strong Ishijima stands far away, but his face being projected on the screens around the stadium was enough to twist his stomach a little.

 _'Why did I agree to this again?'_

 _~Yuya! You okay?~_

 _[Keep your cool and you can win, I know it.]_

 _{If you lose to someone like that I will not forgive you easily.}_

Oh, right.

He saw it as a chance to get stronger. To prove that his dad wasn't a coward, that his dueling wouldn't lose as easily as everyone seemed to believe.

But maybe this was a mistake.

Yuya looked down at his hand. He couldn't do anything with this.

Was he going to lose...?

Like this...?

He felt, sad. Frustrated. Angry at himself. Didn't he say he was going to get stronger?

His pendulum smacked against his chest as he rose up, dejected.

 _/I can't do anything more... It's over.\_

He heard Yuto, Yugo and Yuri's denies, insisting it must be _something_ he could still do. That he could still win.

It felt like his pendulum was, growing hot?

He wanted to win, he wanted to win.

He needed a way to win. A way to get stronger. A way to protect them in his own way.

But you couldn't win on feelings alone. It wouldn't magically change his cards to something useful. It wasn't enough, not good enough.

 _It is good enough_

Yuya snaps his head up.

He could feel the others more strongly than he'd ever had. It was like their very souls were touching. Supporting him, pushing him forward.

He could feel them, see them. Beings, presences, old and new but ever knowing. Lingering, watching, waiting. He just had to reach out, and they would lend him their power.

He just had to guide them here.

His pendulum was glowing, and soon his cards were as well.

Yuya set his new cards and raised his hand high.

Light filled the stadium, but Yuya barely registered the audience, his whole being focused on one point, above him. On the two pillars formed by his new comrades.

" _Swing, Pendulum of Souls! Draw an arch of light over the heavens!"_

"Come forth, my monsters!"

* * *

Aaaand Yuya pendulum summons! Man that was hard to write, don't know how well it turned out but I hope it's good at least :,D

I'm gonna be real with you all, i'll be playing a bit fast and loose with events and what time they supposedly occurred. Like how Ruri and Rin were kidnapped before the start of the series, from what I remember, but I think there's enough time between when yuya invents pendulum summoning and when yuto and shun come to standard. Don't take it too seriously though, I try not too, or i'd go mad about it.

But i just want to say, thank you so so much to everyone who has read this and commented! The thought that a story of mine would get so many lovely comments was something i'd only jokingly thought about, and i'm so happy you're all enjoying this story! I hope you'll continue to enjoy it from now on as well!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Small and Big Revelations

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yuto wandered the ghost town that used to be his home, glancing sadly over the ruined buildings and cracked roads. Thanks to Academia's destruction, it had become easy to get lost among the debris, landmarks and recognizable locations either buried or destroyed by now.

It had been gradual. Heartland didn't turn into a smoking pile of concrete and glass overnight. As the Resistance fought back harder, Academia pushed them down with numbers and malice. But they never stopped fighting back, so the next step became to use the landscape to their advantage, destroying buildings and causing explosions to create distractions, confusion among the enemy so a counter-attack could be made or so they could do a safer retreat.

Yuto had been hesitant, still was, to use his home that way. But he knew buildings and roads meant little if his living, breathing comrades could make it back.

He looks up at the Heartland Tower, the tallest building in the city, somehow still standing despite the damage made to it.

 _[I don't know if it's because of some symbolic meaning or if it's just really that well built.]_

 _/What is?\_

 _[Heartland Tower. Tallest building in the city but it's still intact and standing.]_

 _/Ah.\_

 _~What's it look like?~_

 _[Cylindrical shape, gets thinner the higher it goes. It has these thin, green structures that wrap around it that I think is just for decoration, it used to light up. The top has a big, heart-shaped light, though it's a little damaged now.]_

 _~Ooh, pretty. Don't think anything like that exists in the City. A lot more pointy shapes here.~_

 _[Aren't there a lot of roads over there?]_

 _~Oh, yeah! Lot's of them, and they change if there's a Riding Duel going on. But only if there's Security involved.~_

Yuto caught the underline of anger from Yugo, making him frown a little. What he heard about City was enough to make him toss at night, as if he didn't do that enough already.

 _/Maiami has a lot of glass everywhere, but since we have so many duel schools there's a lot of fun buildings. But ours is definitely the most fun!\_

A strong wind tugged at his cloak, making an eerie sound as it passed through the ruins and broken houses. The area he decided to walk around in had so much dust in the air he needed his mask and goggles to not have a coughing fit and keep dirt from entering his eyes at every gust of wind.

 _[Where's Yuri?]_

 _~Away. Had to go talk to the Professor guy.~_

 _[Is he okay?]_

 _/I think so. He said he'd be learning more about his mission, but that's all he knew. He'd tell us more when he gets back.\_

Yuto frowns, stopping, before turning to walk back to the tower. He'd find a secluded spot so he could talk to the others in peace.

He knew it was dangerous, going out by himself with no one knowing where he was going. But Yuto couldn't let go of his wandering habits completely, so he still went out, drifting around the ruined Heartland's rubble, making sure to keep away from dangerous or unknown areas. He'd learned how to get around better than probably any of his comrades, though no one liked when he only gave a vague 'I'm going out for a little, be back soon' to someone before leaving.

But giving a location defeated the purpose. The most he could give is a rough area he'd be in. It could feel stifling to keep to, but he buried that feeling.

He could just see the entrance when he was hit by a wave of frustration. Yuri was back.

 _[Welcome back, any news?]_

Yuri grumbled a little more before answering. _{Yes, hello. The short version is, things have become more complicated than we thought now.}_

 _~What do you mean?~_

 _{Yuto, Yugo, are you alone right now?}_

 _~Uh, yeah?~_

 _[Yeah, I'm just outside sight from our base.]_

 _/Yuri, what happened?\_

 _{…You're not gonna like it.}_

* * *

Shun was not happy.

Granted he hadn't been truly happy in a long time now, but right now he was nearly anxious. Rations were running low, just below the necessary amount to feed everyone, Academia had launched a surprise attack on a group of scavengers just a few days ago, no carded but a few were injured. Then he woke up from resting at Ruri's insistence and found out Yuto was out again, with no one knowing where he was.

Shun was on the verge of locking him up in their shared room when he couldn't keep an eye on him. He's sure Ruri wouldn't be too against it.

But he couldn't do that. He knew how antsy Yuto got when he couldn't go out and stretch his legs in peace. At least he was telling them roughly where he'd be now.

A voice calling his name made him turn around. Ruri and Yuto were walking towards him, his sister waving her arm so he could see them. He lets out a sigh of relief at the sight of his best friend, seemingly uninjured.

"Shun," Ruri smiled at him, but her eyes looked worried "did you get some rest?"

"A little," he said. "Did something happen?"

Yuto wasn't meeting his eyes, looking down at the floor, face pale and hands clenched into fists. He gave Ruri a questioning gaze, but she simply shrugged, not knowing what was wrong either.

"I need to talk to you two," Yuto finally said. "In private."

He and Ruri shared another look, but he nodded. "Sure. Our room?"

Yuto nods and walks down the hall, Shun and Ruri following behind him.

* * *

"Do you guys remember the first day of the invasion?"

Shun and Ruri flinch, sitting next to each other on his bed. His hands clench on his arms where they were crossed over his chest.

"Of course," Shun said.

How could they forget? That day remained to be the worst one in Shun's life, would likely always be. He could tell Ruri felt the same, her hands tensing in her lap.

Yuto nodded, sitting on his own bed in front of them, eyes glued to the floor. It was disconcerting, looking at him. He had a pained look on his face, almost the same he wore when he came back to base and someone had been carded. But if that was the case, he'd have already told them and then gone off to be alone for a while.

"You remember how we were supposed to meet up that day? At a duel stadium away from the square Academia first attacked?"

Shun nods again, wondering where Yuto was going with this.

Yuto looks up at them, gray eyes unsure but still a light of resolve in them. "I doubt you'd find that odd but, even after this started, did either of you ever question why I knew things? Like when or where enemies could attack."

Shun frowns, turning over the question in his head. True, he'd always wondered how Yuto could be so well-informed on how their enemy moved, but he'd never gone full out and said anything clear. Only strongly suggested they move somewhere else, or stop a mission because he had a bad feeling. They always turned out to be right and they still had a lot of people alive thanks to it.

"Yuto," he finally says, "if you think we'd suspect you of treason, I might just hit you."

"Me too," Ruri says, frowning.

He lets out a small laugh at that, making the siblings relax a little.

"Thanks, I guess. That's not what I'm trying to tell you though." Yuto chews on his lower lip in thought. "I didn't know that by spying or hearing things by accident. I have, a friend over there, who tells me."

Shun sits up very straight at that, thoughts rumbling around his head. Yuto knew someone in Academia? Were they trustworthy? How did they even get to know each other, how do they keep in contact? Was Yuto giving something in return for the information?

Ruri gets her thoughts together faster than her brother does. "How?" she says. "How did you get in contact? For how long?"

Yuto runs a hand through his spiky hair, staring resolutely at the wall. "...For about two years."

They sit in silence at that.

"How...?" Shun asks. He couldn't find any better words.

Yuto opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again. He frowns in concentration and wrings his hands together. He had a, almost distant look in his eyes, as if he wasn't fully here in the room, like he was listening to something they couldn't hear. He finally lets out a sigh.

"I still don't know how or why it happened but, one day I was going through my deck as normal. When I was looking at Dark Rebellion, my head started to hurt. It got worse and worse until I collapsed and then... I could hear them."

Shun and Ruri blink in confusion. "What do you mean by 'you could hear them'?" he asks.

Yuto scuffs his shoe against the floor. "Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy, I have no real proof either but, I _need_ you both to believe me." Yuto meets their questioning gazes. "We talk, telepathically I guess you could call it. Ever since then, I can always hear them and they can hear me. So I know a lot, but also very little at the same time."

It did sound crazy. Normally Shun would scoff if anyone tried to tell him something this fantastical. But Yuto wasn't like that, wasn't the type to make jokes like this and it made him waver. His best friend looked so serious, hands gripping his knees and staring at them resolutely.

Shun glance at Ruri. She has a conflicted look to her face, no doubt thinking the same things as him. She glances back and they share a look as a silent conversation passes between them.

Ruri finally gives a small nod and smiles slightly. Shun frowns, but nods as well and relaxes his shoulders.

They turn back to a waiting Yuto, who looked like he was close to fidgeting.

"...Ok," Ruri says, softly. "We believe you."

Yuto blinks, until the words sink in and he lets out a big gasp of air, leaning over his knees. When he looks up, he's smiling in such relief it makes Shun feel terrible for even considering to have thought him a liar.

"Thank you."

Shun and Ruri smile back. Yuto rights himself, coughing a little to get his composure back. But he looks a little lighter now, as if a large weight got released from his shoulders.

But a dark look entered his eyes again, turning the mood serious again.

"Right, so, I have some very important stuff to talk about..."

* * *

"No Rin, I'm serious!"

"Of course you are."

"Riiin, why won't you believe me?"

"Who would believe talk about other dimensions and mind links?"

Yugo frowns as Rin goes back to tinkering with the engine on their D-Wheel, not even looking in his direction. He's sitting cross-legged beside her in the garage, toolbox beside him and handing tools to Rin when she asks for them.

He'd thought now was as good a time as any to bring it up, especially now that Yuri has told them that Rin and Yuto's friend Ruri was his targets to bring to Academia. Yugo definitely wouldn't let that happen, but he needed Rin to believe him first. He'd promised to tell her, about everything.

But she still wouldn't believe him.

"...Didn't you say you'd trust me?" Yugo says in a quiet voice, looking down at his lap.

Rin pauses in her tinkering, raising her head to look at him. "Yugo..."

"You said you would start trusting me a little. I promised I'd tell you what was wrong when I'd figured it out, but I can't do that if you won't believe me!" His eyes were getting wet and he tried to hold them back. He knew he couldn't blame her, but it hurt that Rin still called it silly, brushed it off when it was so important. For both of them.

Rin looked worried now, gloved hands hovering in front of her before she hurriedly took them off. "It's not that, I promise. Come on, don't go and cry on me, I'm sorry."

"'m not crying." Not yet anyway, no tears had fallen. He wiped at his eyes roughly, but Rin grabbed his hand.

"Stop that, you'll just irritate them." She chastised, without her normal energy behind it.

He sniffles. "I know I can't prove it, but you could be in danger if you don't believe me. Please, Rin."

She frowns, holding his hand a little tighter, her bracelet catching the weak light from the ceiling lamp.

"...I still find it hard to believe but, if you're that serious about this, I'll do my best to believe you."

Yugo blinks, but then smiles so wide his cheeks hurt. "Thank you, Rin!" He throws his arms around her neck in a hug, making her let out a laugh before wrapping her own around him. They almost fall over but Rin is strong enough to keep them stable.

"So, there are other dimensions, and you can talk to other people from it. Am I getting it right so far?"

He nods happily against her shoulder. "Yup! Yuya, Yuto and Yuri. They're from Standard, XYZ and Fusion. It's all based on different summoning methods!"

"Hmm," Rin hums, shifting to sit more comfortably while still holding onto him. "And what's dangerous?"

"Fusion. Yuri isn't, well he's kind of a jerk but he's not a bad bad guy. He didn't exactly have a choice where he ended up. But they invaded XYZ, Yuto's home, for energy or something for some reason. By," he quiets, hugging Rin a little tighter. "By turning people into cards."

Rin frowns, tightening her own grip in response. Turning people into cards, it sounded almost silly, but the way Yugo said it and his change in mood told her it was something terrible. And invasion's, this seemed a lot more serious than she thought it'd be.

"Ok, what do they need the energy for?"

"To make a utopia, apparently. But, they need something else too..."

Yugo moves away from Rin's shoulder and shifts back a little to look her in the eye. "Yuri said that the Professor guy, the one responsible for this, needs four girls to make it. He's got one already, found another in XYZ, one of Yuto's friends and..." He looks up at Rin, brow furrowed.

Rin pauses, looking bewildered at Yugo's look. "Wait, you don't mean, _me?_ What do they want me for?" She was just a Commons girl, why would she be necessary to build a utopia or whatever?

"I don't know!" Yugo says, sounding frustrated. "Yuri doesn't know either, but he has the mission to get you all. I know he doesn't want to do it, but he can't disobey orders and even if he did, he'd be punished and someone else would just be picked to do it."

Rin frowns, thinking. This was, pretty bad. If some strong duelist was going to come to kidnap her either way, she'd prefer if they were an ally, but she'd rather not get abducted. And she didn't even know what she would be needed for or what she would be made to do, if anything. Maybe she would just be kept in a room or something, that would drive her insane alone.

And she didn't want to be separated from Yugo. No matter what.

"But we'll figure something out!" Yugo interrupts her thoughts, smile still as bright as always. "Yuto is gonna try talking to his friends, Yuya is doing his best in Standard to get info and stuff and Yuri's pretty smart about this so it'll definitely work out!"

He said it with such conviction it made her believe him so easily. Rin sighs, but a smile is playing on her lips. "I guess it will, if you're that sure. But with how you're talking about those guys, I sure want to meet them soon, if only to make sure they're treating you nicely," she says teasingly, grinning.

Yugo gets a light pink tint to his cheeks in response, before looking away and pouting. Rin giggles.

"Anyway, how 'bout we think more about this later? I've got enough to mull over for now." Rin says.

Yugo coughs, shaking away his embarrassment. "Yeah, sure." He stands up and stretches. "How 'bout food?"

"Sounds good," Rin says, taking the offered hand and standing up.

* * *

Yuto felt a little ill, from recounting everything, but from the looks on their faces, Shun and Ruri were worse off.

Shun was a tightly contained bottle of anger, held together by splintering self-control and hands digging into his arms. Yuto could see how hard he was resisting hitting something.

Ruri didn't look much better, she had a sickly sheen to her face, body shaking slightly and mouth hidden behind her hand. Her own frustration only visible from the way her other hand was clenching her arm so tight her nails dug into it. They were similar in that way.

To learn that your home had been invaded and destroyed for the sake of creating a utopia, the people they knew had been turned into cards for that very purpose was hard enough to swallow.

Yuto certainly hadn't dealt with it well, he hadn't slept well in months because of it.

"So, what now?" Shun said through clenched teeth. "What do we do? Because I sure as hell am not quietly handing Ruri over to Academia."

Ruri twitches, but leans against her brother, to calm him down or to calm herself Yuto didn't know. Shun's shoulders do lower just a little in response at least.

"...I don't know." Yuto says, sincerely. "Yuri won't be coming for a while, but apparently it won't be until, they're certain Ruri is alone." He felt a little sick just talking about this, but he needed to. He wouldn't let go of his friends without a fight.

Shun grit his teeth at his words and Ruri closes her eyes, taking a couple deep breaths before lowering her hand.

"...I doubt they'll wait forever for that. Eventually, they'd wait until I'm with a small group and likely resort to carding whoever is with me." Even as she says this, her face tightens at the thought, head lowered.

Yuto frowns, trying to think. They could stall for time and leave the Resistance's headquarters and rough it out in the ruins of Heartland, but that seemed like it could only end in disaster. They'd tire out eventually, food would be scarce quick and they wouldn't have the safety of numbers the Resistance brought them. As soon as they were found, they'd be outnumbered fast.

Shun suddenly stills and slowly raises his head to look at him. "Yuto, you said they'd wait until Ruri's alone. How would they be able to know that?"

Yuto flinches as Ruri looks at them with a questioning gaze. Right, the one thing he hadn't mentioned yet. For good reason, it had to be handled delicately, but he needed to be careful with his words.

"Because... they have a spy, in the Resistance. Dennis." He says carefully, watching Shun closely.

It's lucky he did, because the next second he flew up from his seat, face filled with fury and made to rush out the door.

But Yuto was quicker and caught his arms before he made even one step. Ruri stood up as well, even though she's clearly shaken that someone she thought was a friend belonged to the enemy side.

"Shun, please! Don't make a scene!"

"I'll fucking _kill him!_ " Shun snarls.

"Shun! Please calm down, let's think about this." Ruri pleads with him.

He tries to shake them off, but Yuto has a strong grip and refuses to let go. "Please Shun, don't go after him. If it's found out he's a spy, the others can be in trouble!" Yuto finally shouts.

This makes Shun pause, looking down at him, breathing heavily and eyes filled with anger.

Yuto tightens his grip so much it has to be painful, but Shun doesn't make a sound. "They're gonna wonder how he was found out, with this timing when they finally decided to go after Ruri. If they get suspicious, Yuri could be in trouble and he's _right in enemy territory_ and saving him from that is not possible right now." Yuto forces out. It was facts he hated acknowledging, but he needed to make a point now.

"Yugo too, from Synchro. His home is almost under the complete control by a person from Fusion. If it's decided he should get imprisoned, for whatever reason, he won't be able to escape. If anyone gets even slightly suspicious we can talk like we do, it can get _very_ dangerous for them. We still aren't sure if Yuya is safe either, if Akaba Leo has any influence in Standard."

Yuto's eyes are starting to sting, but he clenches his jaw and tries to force them back. He doesn't notice how Shun and Ruri have gone completely silent.

"I can't protect them, no matter how much I want too. I hate just standing by and waiting as much as you do, but we have to, at least for now."

He tries to control his breathing, his vision swimming with tears and buried frustration. He's tried so hard not to think about how far out of his reach the other three are, but it's bubbling to the surface now and he has to make an effort to suppress it. He can think about it later when things are less dangerous.

It's silent, until he hears a loud sigh that makes him finally look up. Shun looks winded and so tired, but his eyes have that soft colour they used to have before this war began. Before they got hardened by battles and slips of paper made from their comrades filtered through the sky.

"I'm sorry, Yuto, Ruri," Shun says. "I got, a little heated."

Yuto smiles in relief, letting go of his arm. "No problem."

Ruri shakes her head, looking near tears herself. "It's okay. I, I'm angry too. I understand but, we need to think about what to do. I don't want to lose anyone anymore and I don't want to just hand myself over but, if Yuto's friends could be in danger we can't move carelessly."

Shun frowns but nods sharply. "Right. There must be something we can do." He crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes in thought. "Leaving the Resistance won't last us long, but we don't have many other places to go either..."

Yuto nods. "Fighting them off won't last us forever either. We lose numbers and they don't, after all."

He glances at Ruri, who had gone quiet and was about to ask her what she wanted to do, when he saw her eyes gain a light to it.

"Ruri, did you come up with something?" He asks.

"...Possibly," she says, shifting from foot to foot, thinking. "Didn't Allen say he'd gotten hold of some Academia duel disks?"

Shun blinks in confusion. "Yeah, he was hoping to better figure out how the carding system worked."

Ruri nods. "Right, but, didn't he also say he was looking into the teleportation system in them? Trying to figure out how it worked and if he could replicate it."

Yuto's breath catches in his throat. "What do you have in mind?"

Ruri looks at them, eyes hard with determination.

"Yuto, you said they'd soon come and get me. But, what if I'm not here when they do? What if _we_ aren't here?"

Yuto and Shun glance at each other in realisation. He can feel his heart thumping up a storm in his chest.

"What if we leave this dimension before they can come to get me."

* * *

 _How did it come to this?_ Rin silently wondered.

She and Yugo had been walking back home after buying some ingredients, deciding that after that conversation they'd had, they should have something nice for dinner. She'd been looking forward to it, Yugo was surprisingly good at cooking and could make otherwise bland soup delicious.

But then Security had stopped in front of them, saying they were under arrest. When they'd tried to protest, ask what they had done wrong to warrant arrest, they had simply spoken in their microphones how they were 'resisting arrest' and force would be required.

It made her sick, filled her blood with anger.

She glared at the group in front of her, all wearing blue uniforms and helmets that hid their eyes.

"Just give up and surrender! There's nowhere left to run!"

Rin glowered, wondering if she could make them piss off with her glare alone. Yugo was in a similar state beside her, glaring at the men cornering them.

"The hell do you want with us anyway!? We didn't do anything wrong!" he shouts.

"That is of no matter to you. The Head of Security himself ordered your arrest, so we will not allow you to escape."

Yugo tense up, reaching over to grasp her hand. Rin glance at him in confusion, until she remembered what he had told her earlier.

" _Apparently someone from Fusion is really powerful here, so that's how they were able to find you I think. So don't go and get arrested Rin! We'd go right into their hands!"_

" _Idiot, as if I would. You make sure to be more careful instead."_

Rin pales.

Did they decide to come abduct her early? But why is Security doing it? Wasn't Yugo's friend from Fusion supposed to do that? She thought she had more time.

She grips Yugo's hand back.

The men in front moves to walk towards them, until the ringleader pauses and holds up a hand to stop them. He lifts a hand to the side of his head, lowering his head as if listening to something.

"Are you sure, Sir? ...Very well," he says, before facing them again.

"Be grateful, criminals! The Head of Security has given you a merciful option. If the boy comes willingly, we'll let you go, little lady."

Something cold forms in Rin's chest at the man's words.

"No," she says, voice flat and cold as ice. She tugs hard at Yugo's hand, pulling him behind her despite his protests and steps in front of him, arm raised protectively.

"Rin!" Yugo protest behind her, gripping onto her jacket. Her only response is glaring at the Security, a few even taking a few hesitant steps back.

"Rin..." Yugo says quietly. "...It's ok, I, I can go, as long as you're fine I'll be okay."

"No." She says, glancing back at him shortly before looking ahead again.

The men start to laugh. "You should listen to your friend, girl. You're wasting a great chance at freedom here."

" _Definitely not,"_ she says through clenched teeth. She ignores Yugo's incessant tugging on her clothes.

"You'll have to take me down first."

Rin raises her arm with her duel disk, moving to activate it. The officers do as well, three to begin with. There was still a group left behind them and she had to defeat them all to make sure she and Yugo would be safe.

"Rin! Stop it!" Yugo shouts behind her, trying to move from behind her, but she only presses back to keep him between her and the wall.

"I'll be fine. I doubt I'll be left alone after this even if I'm let go," she says.

The Security officers start their turns. She'd be last then.

If what Yugo said was right, she was necessary. This would only make sure she was alone, without Yugo always by her side and ready to protect her. Too bad it went both ways.

 _You'll hurt him over my dead, cold body_

Her deck was whispering to her, ready to fight and defend her and what she held dear. The air was growing frigid and her opponents were growing frightened.

But Yugo was still gripping her jacket, shaking his head wildly against her back. She hoped he wasn't crying, she wouldn't be able to comfort him for a while.

Rin paused her hand over her deck, about to draw her first card, as she felt the air shift. Yugo's hands were clenched so tightly in her jacket she was sure his fingers were white underneath his gloves.

Then, a sharp, white light enveloped them. She heard the men shout in surprise, but she could only stare at Yugo, his hair flowing in a non-existent breeze and clear blue eyes glowing as they looked up at her, brimming with tears.

He mouthed something that she couldn't hear and teal particles floated in the air.

She heard what she thought was a dragon's cry, a strong wind blowing through the once still alley, bowling over her forgotten opponents.

Rin tried to call Yugo's name, but then her body felt like it was floating and the light embraced her fully, hiding him from view. His grip disappeared from her back.

And then he was gone.

* * *

OH WOW HI THERE i'm sooo sorry this is late, it's been A Week for me and i've been distracted and himming and humming over how to write this, but i think it turned out good in the end! But as a result the update schedule may turn a bit wacky, but i'll still try to get out a chapter around each week, i hope everyone understands ;v; I really do love this story and i want to finish it! Even if updates become a bit sporadic

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's got some fun changes in canon that i was looking forward to writing after all!


	9. Quiet

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Remeniscing on Sakaki Yushou was something Reiji liked to avoid. How his oversight caused one of his most reliable allies to disappear without a trace, leaving the man labelled as a coward by the public. To anyone who didn't know he'd travelled across dimensions it was a logical conclusion, but even so, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

But now, gazing at his computer screen, fingers interlocked under his chin, he was once again forced to confront the aftermath of his mistake.

Reiji had done his very best not to think about Sakaki's son, so young when his father went missing. The man had sometimes mentioned him, before Akaba Leo left and he'd run into him when the entertainment duelist had come for a visit or a business related matter. He had once patted his head like a child and jokingly said how different Reiji and his son were, despite being only two years apart in age.

Reiji would be lying if he claimed he hadn't felt a small wave of relief when he caught sight of the boy's name in their database. That his father's disappearance hadn't stopped him from dueling.

That relief turned complicated when that same boy invented a whole new summoning method.

Pendulum summoning was the edge the Lancers, Standard as a whole, needed in the war against the Fusion dimension. It was unique to them alone, something their enemies would know nothing about. Right now it was still too new, too unpolished to be useful against Academia's forces. But with just a little time and some pushing, it would be one of their greatest weapons.

The how, on the other hand, was more complicated. Reiji knew, once they had enough data, LDS would successfully be able to reproduce Pendulum cards of their own. But at the moment, Sakaki Yuya was the only duelist capable of using it.

He had already arranged for one of their students to challenge him to a duel, in order to gather more data. But it would likely not be enough.

And it was when he sat and considered if he should send more students to duel him, or confront him personally, that some interesting info came to him. Which lead him to now.

On his monitor, security footage of the LDS library was playing. At a public computer, swaying on a chair, sat Sakaki Yuya.

It was old footage, captured not long before his duel with Ishijima, brought to his attention when one of his personell recalled having seen the boy on the cameras. He made a mental note to give the person a bonus of a sort for the good work.

Use of their library wouldn't be enough to raise alarm, it was open to the public after all, to an extent, certain information only being accessible to students or teachers. But it was the combination of who it was along with what he'd been seemingly searching for.

A look over his search history on the computer brought up questions about all the available summoning methods. Not how to use them, or specific ways to summon with them, but where they came from.

Each new search seemed to turn more and more frustrated and specific. What were first broad questions turned specific, but in the end only leading him in circles. It was designed to be that way, after all.

Sakaki Yuya had continued in this fashion, pausing occasionally to read the information that came up, until he finally slumped back in his chair in defeat.

Reiji could almost admire his tenacity, he'd been at it for nearly an hour straight.

His initial searches weren't of any large importance. You could even claim the boy was researching summoning methods in order to create his own. But the time window was too tight and he hadn't set foot in LDS before this.

On the feed, Sakaki Yuya left the library and walked towards the lobby, only for him to stop suddenly after looking at the screens on the wall. He stood still for a solid five seconds, before bolting back where he came from, nearly colliding with several students and furniture and threw himself in front of a free computer and booting it up.

Sakaki Yuya being at LDS looking up summoning methods was not enough to raise suspicion.

Sakaki Yuya looking up Akaba Leo however, set off alarm bells.

It quickly became obvious to Reiji he knew more than he should. The searches were all in relation to the former president and soon enough, Reiji himself. Much like how information about summoning methods was carefully filtered, the same goes for Akaba Leo, if not even more so. Nothing was said beyond the man had fallen victim to complicated health issues and had to step down for early retirement and let his son and wife take over.

All lies, unless you considered madness an illness. Reiji personally did not, but he had a hard time coming up with much else. What else could have caused the man to start a dimensional war?

Sakaki Yuya should have no reason to want to know about the former president, much less search for him by name after seeing the screens in the lobby. And the fact he did so after seeing Reiji's own name displayed...

Searches varied from information about Akaba Leo, then to Akaba Reiji before going back to reading just about everything that came up the boy seemed to deem important.

How much he knew, Reiji did not know. But he would find out.

He wondered if he would earn another enemy, or a possible ally.

* * *

 _~nononononoRinyoucan'tdothatdon'tdothatstopitstopitdon'thurtherdon'tgethurtprotectingmepleasepleaseplease~_

 _/Yugo? What's wrong?! What's going on?\_

 _~Don'ttakeherawaydon'thurtherIdon'twanthertogethurtstopstopIdon'twantthisIwon'tletyouhurtherneverevereverever~_

 _[Are you being attacked? Did something happen to Rin? Please answer Yugo!]_

 _/You're worrying us! Please!\_

 _~Uuh, sniff uuuuhh aaaaaaahhh~_

 _{Yugo calm down! Tell us what's going on!}_

 _Yugo!_

* * *

Ruri was almost shocked over how much made sense about Yuto now that she knew he could talk to other people telepathically. Little bits and pieces slotting into place and making her go 'ooohh' to herself when she noticed them.

Yuto was never one to easily let his emotions show on his face, but his eyes was another story. Ruri had always wondered what he was thinking about, when his eyes would flicker with irritation or amusement, sometimes his mouth would even twitch. But her favourite was when they would soften to a soft, soft gray, like baby bird down. The very rare ones included a warm smile not directed anywhere and only shown when he thought no one was looking.

She'd asked once, what he was thinking about to get such a warm look on his face, teasingly. But Yuto hadn't answered, he got a little flustered and deny any such thing had happened.

Now, when his eyes flickered or focused on a single point without really seeing it, she thought _'oh, he must be talking to those other boys'._

Yuto even seemed a little more comfortable now, dazing out when it was just the three of them, but snapping back quickly when they spoke to him. He'd even started muttering or laughing to himself. He'd been embarrassed at first at their questioning looks, but had explained he was talking to the other three. Now that Shun and Ruri knew, he could do it even with them there.

It made her happy, that Yuto was comfortable enough to let go like that with them. She could tell Shun thought that too.

She really wanted to meet the people who made Yuto have such a warm look on his face. The way he talked about them made them out to be interesting folks.

Which is why the sight of him freezing up, turning pale and eyes going wide in trepidation while they were going through storage late at night made it feel like a thick rock had dropped in her stomach.

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. We've searched everywhere but we cannot find any trace of the girl in neither the Commons or Tops area. Would you like us to continue?"

Roger frowned. An expected result, but displeasing all the same. "No. I doubt we'll locate her, after all this time. But tell the men to keep an eye out in case she shows up. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" The screen turned black as communications cut off.

Roger leaned back in his chair.

Perhaps going after the girl was reckless, even if he hadn't had any intention of keeping her. Losing her certainly didn't net him any favour either. He had gone over the footage numerous times, but it was still no getting around it had been the boy that had caused the bright light and made the girl disappear.

It was quite a sight. Despite offering the girl the ultimate out, she'd flat out refused to budge even as the boy grew more and more restless behind her. Until light had started to gather around the two, energy readings going off the charts and with a flash of light, the girl was gone and the boy had collapsed to the ground, tears running down his face and clearly exhausted.

Despite this, he had still kicked up quite a fuss when Security went to capture him, screaming and trashing around, managing to hit several of the officers with his fists and legs. Even being handcuffed didn't hinder him, resorting to biting the hands and arms trying to hold him still.

But he was one against dozens and fatigue eventually started to set in as he lost steam long enough for the men to throw him into the van.

Roger pushed a button, bringing up the camera feed of the cell he'd had the boy placed in, curled up in a corner on the bed, legs drawn up to his chest and face buried in his knees.

He smiled.

The power he had shown was wonderful. If he could utilise it properly, it would be supremely useful. The small power readings they had picked up when the boy had gotten into duels with other Commons or Security had gotten him intrigued, but what he had shown earlier...

He had initially planned to only use the boy as a hostage to make the girl follow his orders. It was meant to be some time until Yuri was to capture her, so if he could have her wrapped around his finger before then, he would have one upper hand against Academia.

Going just by her actions, if the girl made her way back here somehow, he had no doubt she would do everything in her power to save her little friend. Manipulating her by dangling the boy's safety in exchange for her obedience would not be difficult to do.

And if he could acquire a powerful soldier on his side in the process, then all the better.


	10. Captured Dragon

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yugo had heard murmurs about the Tops jail cells from adults. How they were small and cramped, the tiny cots hanging from the walls just barely comfortable enough to sleep on. How it was dark and chilly, the only light coming from the ceiling lamps in the hallways outside, shining through the bars.

But the one he was sitting in was nothing like what he'd heard.

For one, there were no bars. Just a heavy door with a little peep window that could only be opened from the outside. There was a small window high up the wall, too small for him to crawl through even if he could reach it.

The room wasn't cramped, it was actually larger than his own back at the orphanage, but it was a lot emptier, a round table with a chair, a thinner one pushed against the wall with plastic mugs and a water dispenser that he hadn't touched despite his parched throat.

The bed had a pillow and a soft blanket that he had wrapped around himself. The mattress was soft under him, but he couldn't sleep, despite feeling more exhausted than he's ever felt before.

He'd been thrown in a tiny one at first, the guards yelling at him to keep quiet before walking away. He had glared at them until they were out of sight, but he was too tired to keep it up for long afterwards and fell into an uneasy rest after just a minute.

He'd been abruptly woken up by more guards, loudly telling him to get up and banging loudly with the barred door on what he bet was on purpose. He'd been 'upgraded to a secluded room' or something, he didn't really listen to the smug bastards, dazed and confused as they roughly dragged him to his feet when he didn't stand up fast enough.

Some guy in a white coat had given him a rough check over, tugging harshly at his head and limbs and poking too hard. He thinks he said he didn't have a concussion or any serious injuries, but the sight of one of the guards handing the man _his deck_ filled Yugo with anger and a burst of energy as he trashed and screamed at them to _give him his deck back, you bastards!_

But he only got hit and yelled at for his trouble and could only watch as the white-coated bastard scoffed, muttering about 'violent Commons scum' and walked away with _his monsters, his dragon_ and Yugo got dragged away on shaky legs. He could hear Clear Wing growl in displeasure, roaring for him, becoming more and more distant the further away he got.

Yugo tugged the blanket closer around him, a pathetic shield against the phantom feeling of rough and cold hands, but it helped a little. Wrapping his arms around his legs and bringing the blanket with them made him think back to when he and Rin had sat on the roof together, and he had to hold back tears at the memory.

He didn't know what happened back there, he was just overcome with the feeling to _get Rin away from here_. But she refused to budge, insistent on fighting Security when she could have just run away and be safe, if only for a little while longer.

So much felt like it was running through him, _from him_.

He thinks there may have been light, and Rin trying to talk to him, but he couldn't over the rushing in his ears and Clear Wing's roaring, louder than all other sounds, but it didn't hurt to hear. It was a familiar sound.

Then his hands grasped at nothing, the light faded and he was falling to his knees as if all energy had left him at once, face wet.

Yugo gripped the fabric of his riding suit over his legs. He'd taken off his shoes and left them on the floor beside the bed in a heap. The room had a faint metallic smell to it, the closed in air making the walls feel closer than they actually were. The lack of any light except from the small window made the corners dark and creepy looking. But he couldn't crawl into Rin's bed to seek comfort, or...

Talk to the others.

Yugo buried his face in his knees.

He hadn't meant to. But when he saw the people rushing towards him, hands reaching for him and felt the panic pierce his chest, his monsters rattling restlessly in his mind, he'd just, thrown up a wall. Made it so tough he wouldn't hear them.

He felt pretty terrible about it, even if he couldn't exactly talk to them during that whole thing. He'd almost passed out in the van they'd thrown him in, woozy and in pain from being hit and his head didn't exactly land in a nice place when it met the metal floor. The time in his tiny jail cell was spent half-unconscious on the floor and leaning on the shitty cot.

But now he was awake, head a lot clearer compared to the last few hours. There was no one else in the room and he guessed he wouldn't be disturbed again until morning, if no guards decided to bother him during the night.

Yugo carefully pushed at the mental wall he'd thrown up. Not enough to break or make the others notice, but only testing its sturdiness.

They were probably asleep. He didn't know what time it was but he guessed it was the middle of the night. He didn't want to bother them. But...

Yugo curled tighter into himself and pressed his face harder into his knees, eyes starting to sting.

He really, really wanted to talk to them. Just feeling their presence would be a comfort, they were so muted right now and it was disturbing. Like they were barely there.

...He wanted them back.

Yugo closed his eyes and started to carefully chip away at the block. He wasn't sure why he was being so hesitant, but the longing for their usual company won over.

 _Tick, tick, tick, chhhrrriiiip_

As carefully as he could, he picked at it, until it fell apart. And the feeling of comfort coiled around his chest as he felt the others around.

Yugo let out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing. The others all felt quiet, probably sleeping, but not as calm as they normally felt when they were asleep and he was awake.

 _~...I'm back.~_ He thought silently. He'd cling to their vague feelings and scattered thoughts that came from their dreaming until he finally fell asleep.

 _{Yugo?}_

 _/Bwuh, what? …Wait Yugo is that you?!\_

 _[...Yugo?!]_

Well, so much for that plan.

 _~...Hi.~_

 _{'Hi'? Is that all you have to say for yourself, after that scare you gave us?}_

 _~Um,~_

 _/Yuri stop that, he's back now right?\_

 _[Yugo are you okay? You're not hurt are you? What happened?]_

 _~Woah woah, too many questions, I didn't even mean to wake you guys up here!~_

 _/What? Why?\_

 _{You'd better have a good reason for thinking to leave us in the dark}_

 _~...I'm sorry, really. A lot of stuff kinda happened.~_

 _[What 'stuff'?]_

 _~Um, I kinda got captured by Security?~_

There was a beat of silence, before Yugo's head got filled with expletives and questioning from three sources at the same time.

 _/What?!\_

 _[Godfucking shit shit-]_

 _{Damnit- How did that happen?!}_

 _/Shit, are you okay? Where are you? Did they hurt you?\_

 _~Hey, hey! Slow down! ….Please, my head hurts.~_

It really did, the multiple knocks and hits it had endured didn't mesh well with shouting.

It did make the others shut up fast, at least. When they spoke again it was in softer tones.

 _/Sorry, we didn't mean to do that.\_

 _[Yeah, I'm sorry. I got caught off guard and didn't think.]_

 _{….Sorry.}_

Yugo hid a smile in his knees. It wasn't often you got an apology from Yuri. It made his stomach warm with happiness.

 _~It's okay. My heads taken kind of a beating today, so it's a lil sensitive.~_

It was probably the wrong words to use, from the sharp feelings of anger and worry he felt from the others. Oops.

 _/Yugo, what happened? We were really worried!\_

 _~Sorry, things got a little hectic. I don't really know where to start honestly.~_

 _{Start from the beginning, we're not going anywhere until you spill all of it.}_

 _~Ok, um. Me and Rin were going home after buying groceries, when we were stopped by Security, who only said we were under arrest. We ran, but there were many of them and all on D-Wheels, so we didn't get far. But then one of them said, that if I came willingly they'd let Rin go.~_

Unpleasant feelings bubbled up from where he'd buried them, but he ignored them for now.

 _~But she refused. She wouldn't listen when I said I could go with them and decided to fight them off.~_

 _[Were there that many?]_

 _~Yeah, even if both of us had dueled, we'd have gotten run over at some point, I think.~_

 _{I wouldn't be surprised if your Security has similar dueling to the Obelisk Force, decks pre-made for groups.}_

 _/So, what happened? Is Rin okay? ...Is she with you?\_

He could tell from Yuya's tone he doubted she was. Yugo swallowed.

 _~I-I don't really know what happened but, I got so frustrated, worried and just, overwhelmed. And I did something, somehow and, and... sent her away.~_

He bit his lip hard.

 _[Sent her away? What do you mean, Yugo?]_

 _~She, she's not here anymore, in this dimension, that's all I know! Rin tried to protect me and she would have gotten hurt and I sent her away and now she's missing! I don't know where she is or what's happening to her and it's all my fault!~_

He finally broke down sobbing, his voice hitching and shoulders shaking as salty tears ran down his cheeks, biting back any loud noises that wanted to escape.

It wasn't even only because Rin was gone. Because now, Yugo felt more alone than he's ever felt, even with Yuya, Yuto and Yuri, because they weren't physically here. Hearing them talk and finally feeling their presence again helped a lot, it really did, but it also drove home the fact that he was alone and captured in his home dimension. He would try to escape if he could, but even if he did, he had no way of getting away from the City. If he had Clear Wing with him, maybe he could have, but his dragon wasn't there and it felt wrong to be so far away from his friend.

And now he sat alone in an empty holding cell, sobbing his eyes out.

 _/No no no no it's not your fault Yugo!\_

 _~It is! Don't try to make me feel better about this!~_

His already dry throat hurt. He accidentally let a loud sob escape.

 _[Ssshh, sshh, Yugo it's okay, it's not your fault. We'll fix this I promise. I'm sure Rin is okay.]_

 _/And like this, Yuri won't have to come capture her!\_

Yuya's words made him pause.

 _{Yuya's right, sending her away was for the better. We didn't have a way for her to avoid capture that didn't involve me failing the mission or mark me a traitor to Academia. If you're sure she isn't in Synchro anymore, then Academia won't know where she is either, at least for a while. And since she is in another dimension...}_

 _[We can find her.]_

 _'Oh,'_ Yugo thought. He hadn't even thought of that. It was a bit frustrating to think about, but right now Rin was safer if she wasn't in Synchro. But...

 _~What if she went to Fusion?~_

 _{Then hopefully, the rebellion will pick her up.}_

 _/Wait, you have a rebellion in Fusion?\_

 _{Former students who defected, or that's the rumours, we don't have any concrete information yet. But back to the topic at hand,}_

 _{Yugo, it'll be fine. If you're captured, we'll just have to come save you.}_

 _~...You will?~_

 _[Of course we will. That was never a matter of discussion, so just sit tight until we get there. It's dangerous out now, but come morning I'll go out and look for Rin.]_

 _{...If I could, I'd go right now and get you out, but I can't. So just wait for us.}_

 _/We'll fix this together, don't worry. So, please don't cry, okay?\_

Yugo let out a small sniffle, a couple of stray tears running down his cheeks, but his lips pulled into a warm smile. His chest felt warm at the other's words, spreading through his body and warming him up all the way to his fingertips and his stomach felt like it was doing flips.

His best friend was missing, he had been taken from his home, beat up, gotten his deck and dragon taken from him and held captive in a cold, dark room.

But he hadn't felt this happy and warm in a long, long time, if ever.

 _~...Yeah, ok. I'll hold on through what the hell it is they want me for.~_

He knew it would be a while until they could come get him out, but he knew they would. And he would finally get to meet them.

Yugo laid down on the bed, curling up in a ball. He felt like a weight had been lightened. Not gone, but split apart and shared so he could breathe easier.

 _~Thank you.~_

 _/No problem.\_

 _[Thank us when we've saved you.]_

 _{Why don't you try to rest? We'll be here until you fall asleep.}_

The others kept him company until he finally asleep, talking softly. Their voices and presence kept him company and made him feel safe as his heavy eyelids fell shut and his body finally got to rest.

He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.

* * *

 _ **Someone far away has given me a light that can change into courage**_

 _ **The world is moving, so our hearts can become one**_

 _ **Because the warmth you embrace needs no reason**_

* * *

Hey, there we go. A Yugo centric chapter, how lovely. Even if it wasn't very nice for him :,c

Also I figured this would be a good time to mention, for those who haven't noticed, the title of this fic and the new fancy lyrics in the summary all come from a song from the Aikatsu! franchise, namely Aikatsu Stars! I was looking for something to name it and decided on this. I wasn't really thinking of fitting music, only a fitting title and the songs lyrics kinda fit in places.

The text at the end there also belongs to songs from Aikatsu(i'm not that creative as to come up with thoose), but in their cases they come from

'Overflowing with Love' from Aikatsu Friends

'So Beautiful Story' and 'Miracle Force Magic' from Aikatsu Stars

They're kinda stitched together as I saw fit, but they're lovely songs. You can check them out on their respective wiki pages, but i'll warn the people who want to look up the lyrics, the translations can be a bit wonky in places.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	11. Snark Gallore

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yuya was, quite frankly, not in a good mood.

Yesterday had been a rollercoaster, to say the least. Yugo disappearing so abruptly and leaving all three of them an anxious mess for the rest of the evening and well into the night. The sole consolation being they knew he wasn't dead. When he finally came back, Yuya could feel how exhausted and somber he felt, and he was torn between pacing nervously in his room from worry and wanting to trash something. He held it back as best he could however, it wasn't what Yugo needed.

So after spending several long hours in high tension, falling into an uneasy sleep and then staying awake until Yugo fell asleep.

Now Yuya was tired, grumpy, and running around a city action field trying to make sure Yuzu and the kids don't fall from a skyscraper and get his pendulum cards back.

He should have known going here would mean trouble, but Sawatari hadn't seemed like such a bad person and the chance of finding out even a little more about LDS was a chance he didn't want to pass up.

 _{I wouldn't be surprised if Akaba Reiji set him up for this.}_

Yuya stopped.

Yuri had said it offhandedly, but now that the thought was there...

His cards had been stolen, Sawatari had taken them, he had his little gang of friends against him and Yuzu and the kids, clearly having the advantage and also being at their school. He could have just walked away with the cards into an area Yuya couldn't enter, but was instead dueling him.

And didn't he look like he was talking to someone on his disk earlier...?

Yuya frowned, sprinting forward again.

 _/Hold on to that thought, it seems more and more likely.\_

 _~Seriously?~_

Now he was getting mad. If Akaba Reiji wanted to see Pendulum so badly, why didn't he just _ask_? He had read a lot on his last visit here, he'd found out his dad had worked with LDS to develop Action Dueling. Why send someone to steal his cards and putting his friends in danger as a result? Why not just come meet him?

He dodged one of Sawatari's monsters as it attacked, and then it was finally his turn.

He didn't have time for this. He'd promised Yugo he would go look for Rin as soon as possible.

Looking up at the pillars of light above him at his magicians. It felt like they were watching him, waiting for him to take them back.

Right. He had no time for this.

But ending a duel without putting on a show wasn't a duel Sakaki Yuya would play.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the ground against her back, hard and cold. The next was the cry of seagulls and the sound of waves.

Rin groaned. Her body felt stiff and her head felt like it had been thrown in a blender. She spent a moment taking count that all her limbs were in place, with how off-center she felt she wouldn't be surprised if her right leg was now her left.

She opened her eyes, squinting at the sunlight and sat up, holding her dizzy head and trying to shield her eyes from the light. When she could look around without pain searing into her eyes, she looked up and saw,

…the ocean?

Rin blinked, carefully climbing to her feet. Glancing around, she appeared to be in harbour, giant warehouses behind her.

That can't be right. The shore was far away from the facility, it took a while to get there even with a D-Wheel, and shouldn't it be dark out? She scoured her still dazy mind for any clue to how she could have gotten here.

Right, she'd been about to duel Security. They were going to arrest them for no reason and had them cornered, but there was something else...

 _A sharp white light_

 _Sparkling teal particles floating in the air_

 _Hands gripping the back of her jacket_

 _Crystal blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears_

Rin gasped, memories finally returning.

"Yugo!" she shouted as she turned around frantically, desperately trying to spot a glimpse of blue hair and a white riding suit. "Are you here?! Yugo!"

But she was the only one here, not a single other person along the whole long stretch of the harbour. Her response was only the sound of waves hitting the wall and bird cries.

Rin clenched her fists, trying to stave off the rising panic she could feel begin in her chest.

She was somewhere she did not recognise, with no idea how she got here and Yugo was nowhere to be seen.

 _'Ok, no panicking',_ she thought, biting her lip, starting to look around more thoroughly. _'What do I know? Where do I go from here? How do I find Yugo?'_

Spotting a stack of boxes and high containers between one of the warehouses, high enough that she could climb onto the roof of the buidling beside it, she decided to get a better vantage point. Running over to it, she used the momentum to jump and grab ahold of the ledge, before pulling herself up. A last hop to grab the edge and she pulled herself onto the roof.

Rin stood up carefully and walked a few steps up, mindful to not lose her footing. The last thing she needed was to fall and break something. Making sure she wouldn't slip, she looked up.

Well, she definitely wasn't in the City anymore.

It still had skyscrapers, but no giant constructions with more, smaller buildings on them. No roads over old and broken houses, everything looked a little less, Tops-like. There was a giant building off in the distance that demanded attention and immediately earned her dislike.

Right, so what should she do now?

She had some spare money on her, but she doubted it would be enough to get a ride back home. Walking wasn't an option either, the City was built on water and you needed a boat to get there. Maybe she could stow herself away?

Then there was the other possible option, that she was in a different dimension entirely. It must definitely have been her best friend who caused her to teleport away, but the question was where he'd sent her too. And if he had sent himself away.

She thanked whatever shitty god was out there that Yugo had told her about other dimensions, or she would have been even worse off. But even if she were in another dimension, how would she get back? She didn't exactly know anyone...

Wait.

Rin could have slapped herself for forgetting about the _other_ important part of their conversation. She did smack her forehead though.

If she was in another dimension, one of Yugo's mind friends or whatever should be here too. And if they could talk to each other whenever, they'd know she could possibly be here.

They would know what happened to Yugo after she got sent away.

Rin drew in a big breath, held it and let it out, stretching and letting the wind blow through her hair and caress her hands for a minute, gathering her wits.

"Right!" She slapped her cheeks hard, ignoring the sting. "No time for dilly-dallying! Let's get moving!"

Rin slid down the roof and jumped down, skipping a few of the boxes and landed on the ground, bending her knees to cushion her fall. First things first, she'll walk to the tower and look around, it didn't look like the type of place she could just walk into either way.

She walked in the direction of the large building she could see in the distance, head held high.

* * *

 _/Hey Yuri, what does the uniform for Academia look like?\_

 _{Depends, students are separated into factions called Osiris Red, Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue. You can guess their jacket colour from there, I hope.}_ He could feel Yuri's confusion at his question as he answered.

 _~Which one are you in?~_

 _{Osiris Red, technically.}_

 _[Well, at least I know what uniform to look out for.]_

 _{Not quite, I don't wear the uniform. Special permission as long as I wear the red jacket, but that thing is over my shoulders.}_

 _/Oh, same as me, I wear my school jacket like that too.\_ He felt a little silly being giddy over that, but it was a special feeling finding stuff they shared.

 _{...Is that so. Anyway, why do you ask?}_

 _/Oh, right. I think I'm dueling someone from Academia.\_

Yuya could almsot hear the surprised splutters in his ear, as the others tumbled over their words.

 _[I- what? Yuya are you okay?]_

 _~Yeah are you being attacked or something? You sure don't sound like it!~_

 _/Ok see, remember how I was dueling someone earlier? Well, after I won, he and his friends tried to steal my cards by force. But some weird kid suddenly appeared and knocked them all out.\_

 _~Huh?~_

 _/Yeah, I know. Anyway, he wants to become my student cause I'm the most fun person around or something and now we're having a duel. The kid pulling out polymerisation out of nowhere made me a bit suspicious.\_

 _{Oh fucking hell-}_

Yuya skids to a halt as Yuri _curses_ and disappears for a moment.

 _~Yuya I think you broke him, good job.~_

Yuya has to take a moment to hold in the loud laugther threatening to escape, hand covering his mouth and wide smile.

 _/I didn't mean to, oh god Yuri come back!\_

"Teacher, what are you doing? My turn is over so start your turn already!" Sora shouts across the field, looking annoyed.

Yuya raises a hand to show he heard. "S-sorry, I'll start right now!" He took a breath, then another, to gather his compousure.

"Now, I'll be introducing a new Pendulum and Entermate monster! Level Two, Entermate Cheer Mole!"

Cheer Mole appeared, before shyly burying itself in the ground and peeking out. Yuya smiled at the sight, before turning back to his opponent.

"Also also, our briliant star, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd Eyes appeared with his usual roar, threatening to anyone else, but comforting to Yuya. He listened to the conversation in his head absently while continuing the duel.

 _[Yuri where did you go?]_

 _{I'm here, calm down.}_

 _~What even happened to you?~_

 _{Exasperation and disbelief filled me to the brim for a moment, but laughter ended up being my reaction at how incredibly incompetent this supposed Academia spy is.}_

 _~So, you needed to laugh it off and get your composure back?~_

 _{Pretty much. Yuya, once you're done, give me the brats name and I'll see if I can look it up. Best to make sure he's actually from here.}_

 _[You wouldn't know of the top of your head?]_

 _{Of course not, I don't care for any of these vermins.}_

 _~Suuure, I totally believe that.~_

 _{Shut up.}_

 _/He's called Shiuin Sora, he's wearing a blue jacket, it kinda looks like a modified uniform.\_

 _{I'll see when I can get into the archives.}_

 _[Won't that be suspicious?]_

 _{I doubt anyone would actually dare to tell one me. And I can go wherever I want except for highly off-limits areas.}_

 _~Ugh, how nice.~_

 _/How are you holding up, Yugo?\_

 _~I'm booored. I slept alot but there's nothing to do in here._

 _[They still haven't moved you?]_

 _~Nope. They brought food earlier, but not enough to make me full.~_

 _{They probably want to tire you out for when they come get you. It's easier to persuade you if you're exhausted or hungry.}_

 _~I'll be careful, promise. But I really want Clear Wing back...~_

 _/I'm sure he'll be returned to you soon.\_

 _~I hope so. Anyway, have any of you found Rin yet?~_

 _[I've been tagging along on rounds and ration raids, but I haven't seen her, or heard anything from anyone.]_

 _{I've been looking around and keeping an ear out, but I haven't heard any news. I don't think she's here if they haven't found her by now.}_

 _/I haven't had a chance to look for her yet, sorry...\_

 _~It's fine... thank you for trying. I'm sure Rin will be fine, but,~_

 _[You want to be sure, we get it.]_

 _/I'm sure she'll turn up soon!\_

 _~Yeah, you're right...~_

 _[In more positive news, the teleportation device is almost ready. We should be ready to leave in just a few more days.]_

 _/Really?! That's great!\_

 _{Good work getting that ready so quickly.}_

 _[It's thanks to Allen. He worked really hard when he heard.]_

 _{Did you tell him everything?}_

 _[No, only that we think Ruri might be a target and that going to a different dimension to find allies would be a good way to potentially turn the war around and keep her away. We decided that was for the best. We told the same story to Sayaka.]_

 _~Well, it'll definitely turn the war around a bit, that's for sure.~_

 _/But, that means, we'll get to meet soon, right Yuto?\_ Yuya felt excitement curl up in his stomach at the thought.

 _[Yeah, we will.]_ He thought he could feel the same from Yuto. _[We'll leave at night and go from there. Then we can see how we should meet up.]_

 _/Yeah!\_

 _~Aaw, how nice. You guys hurry up and get here too!~_

 _/We will!\_

 _{Being impatient won't help anyone, Yuugou.}_

 _~It's not fusion, it's Yugo! And don't try to pretend you aren't excited!~_

 _{...Hmph.}_

Yuya grinned, making Yuzu give him a strange look and ask what he was laughing at. He just said 'it's a secret!' and hopped away.

 _/We'll meet one way or another!\_

 _We definitely will._

* * *

Hi Rin, lovely to see you again!

Not gonna lie, i really enjoyed writing the yuboys ragging on Sora's terrible espionage skills, as i find it hilarious myself how little thought he actually gave it.

Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. Lilac and Green Apples

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

"You still haven't found her?!"

"W-we're very sorry, sir! We lost sight of her!"

"You imbeciles! The Professor will be furious if he finds out! Hurry up and find her!"

"Yes!"

Yuri frowns, casting an irritated look at one of the stone walls surrounding his little haven, and the ruckus coming from the other side. Judging by the footsteps rapidly approaching the archway, he'd also have to deal with it.

He sighed irritably, putting down the clippers he was holding onto the grass and giving the bush he was kneeling in front of an apologetic pat to its branches. It seemed his plans for the day just kept getting interrupted.

"Yuri-sama," he glanced in the direction of the voice, seeing a group of the Obelisk Force standing at the entrance. "Please excuse us for bothering you, but have you seen Serena-sama around?"

Yuri looked silently at them out of the corner of his eye, making a few of them squirm, before slowly rising to his feet, taking the time to pat his knees and coat free of any possible small specks of dirt. "And what would make you think she has been here? Do you believe I'd let just anyone come and go here as they please?" His voice and smile sounded pleasant, but both had knife sharp edges to them, making the group twitch.

"O-of course not! It's just that she was spotted near this area and locating her is very important, so if you happen to know anything." Even with a mask obscuring their faces Yuri could tell they were nervous, frightened even, his plants slithering at the smell of fear coming from the group at his silence. He looked sharply at a boot that was all too close to some vines growing over the grass, the owner quickly moving it when they noticed and stumbling into the others as a result.

"Hmmm," he hummed absently, hand tapping his chin in mock thought, closing his eyes and tilting his head slightly. "If you put it that way, I suppose I can let it slide..." The way the group barely even relaxed at his words made a laugh tickle inside his chest, but he held it down.

He turned to look at the other entrance, a round archway, bigger than the other one with large rhododendron bushes on each side, higher than the opening itself. The pink flowers were blooming wonderfully this year, the light colour contrasting beautifully with the dark green leaves. "I may recall seeing someone wearing red running past there."

The little group of masked dogs rapidly turned to look at the opening. "Thank you very much, sir! Please excuse us!" Yuri noted with amusement that they didn't start running until they had passed the archway, settling for a half-jog before disappearing behind the wall. Good thing too, if they had accidentally torn up a plant due to reckless sprinting, Starve Venom would have had a big lunch today.

A part of him recalled how, just a few years back, he would have carded them with no hesitation instead. He ignored it, it wasn't a thing he wanted to delve into right now.

He listened as the footsteps faded, voices calling loudly for backup, until silence once more fell over his garden. After mentally counting to ten, he sighed and stretched his arms.

"They're gone now, go ahead and come out."

The rhododendron bush on the left on the archway rustled, leaves and branches rustling wildly as Serena roughly tore herself free, stumbling out with a curse.

Yuri frowned at her, flexing his fingers absently, making them crack. "You better not have broken a branch with all your roughhousing."

"Shut up, you flower maniac," Serena muttered, standing straight and brushing herself off. "I thought you would give me away for a second there," she said, scowling at him.

Yuri feigned hurt, looking shocked and upset with his hand clasped to his chest. "What, me? What horrible accusations you throw at the person who graciously gave you a hiding place. When I had no reason to, need I remind you."

Serena only glowered at him, clenching her fist in annoyance. "Behind a bush! And I bet you considered doing it just for fun!"

He shrugged. "It worked, so don't complain. It's not like it's the first time you've hidden among the greenery." He gave her an irritated look. "Also, next time you're running from your babysitters, do a better job of losing them if you're gonna hide here. I won't hesitate to feign ignorance if they find out, but I can do without their suspicion, please."

She waved him off, running her hands over her fringe and ponytail, pulling out any leaves and flowers that had gotten stuck. "They were just persistent today."

"You have been running off a whole lot lately, after all." He wandered back to his current project of cutting one of his lilacs. It had grown a lot lately and some of the branches were on the way to grind up against each other. He'd been interrupted twice today, but he was almost finished.

Serena scowled, but followed after and sat down beneath a tree, leaning back against the bark with a huff.

A silence fell over the garden, broken only by the rustling sounds as Yuri cut off branches and pulled them away to put in a small pile next to him. He'd put them in a vase later, it'd be a waste to just throw them away, after all.

"Hey, Yuri?"

"Hmm?" he hummed questioningly, eyes still on his work.

"What's the Xyz Dimension like?"

His hands still for a moment, before going back to cutting through the last branch and pulling it free. "You mean, what's the war like?"

He hears Serena give a miffed sound at being so easily called out, but she doesn't say anything else. He puts the branch in the pile.

Yuri doesn't like thinking about Heartland, about the few times he'd been sent out to take care of duelists that was apparently too much for their forces to handle. He'd never told Yuto about it, he honestly didn't know how to. Just went about the motions required, defeat them, card them, then go back.

Maybe he should feel bad about carding people now. He didn't do it unless it was necessary, but going by the reactions from the other three, he felt he should feel worse about having carded people in the past than he does.

" _Carding is necessary, but it will not last. The day the worlds finally become one, all the people you have carded will be returned alive and well in the new world. The energy you gather through carding will be necessary to fuse the dimensions."_

 _They all wore red cloth and scarfs, every single one of the ones he was sent after. A sign of the rebellion, Yuto once said. He wished he hadn't._

Starve Venom rumble reassuringly, making him realise he was clenching the clippers unnecessarily tight. He puts them down in the grass.

"It's got a lot more screaming than you probably imagine."

Serena looks puzzled at his answer, but seems hesitant to ask more. He starts sorting the branches into two piles. "Alot of destroyed buildings, actually I think it's nothing but rubble by now. Very grey and smoky."

In fact, there was barely any vegetation in Heartland. With enough time there most likely would be, but the tearing up of the earth didn't help, killing anything that tried to sprout.

Serena frowns. "That's not what I was asking about."

"I'm giving you hints, pick up on them yourself."

The fact was, while Yuri had learnt Serena was a prideful person to a fault, he couldn't bring himself to fully trust her with any ideas that Academia was in the wrong. Because she was also desperate to prove herself, and the possibility of her carelessly running off to the Professor with that information with the hope he would give her what she wanted was not something he could risk. The best he could do was hint that it wasn't a glorious battle they were fighting, like they'd been told it would be.

Serena sighed irritably, sagging back against the tree, frowning. "Why am I the only one not allowed to fight? I'm strong enough, I've beaten you a few times and you're allowed to go," she muttered, glaring up at the tree branches, arms crossed.

"Maybe there are other reasons," he said absently, pulling off a broken leaf.

"What reasons would that be?"

As he finished sorting, he got up to put away his clippers, mind wandering. Yuto should soon be going to Standard, and while the plan was originally for him to meet up with Yuya, his new spy friend could prove to be complicating things. Yugo was still a worry but if he let himself think too much about it, a gnawing feeling would rise at the back of his mind telling him to go and get him _now._ But that was a stupid idea and the time for a rampage would come, hopefully with the other two along with him.

But he was trying to think further ahead. Yuri would get the mission to travel to Standard sooner or later. The question was if he were to bring both of the girls there with him, or only go after one and leave the other to backup. And how big would said backup be...? Not to mention what the dear son of Akaba Leo was planning.

Yuri could almost feel the gears in his head work as he thought, fingers still cleaning the cut branches. When they bloom, their flowers would be small and purple.

In a simple vase, without roots to keep them secure, or soil to keep them protected and warm, they won't last long. Cut off limbs from the main body, put up as decoration before they inevitably wilt and dry up to twigs. But it was a necessary removal, otherwise the main plant would suffer and be hindered in its growth.

Yuri found humans similar. Cutting off parts of themselves that weren't necessary, a hindrance to growth and progression. Those that didn't were doomed to grow into themselves and hinder their way up.

And Academia was very cut-happy with what it deemed the wrong way of growing.

Yuri glance over at Serena, who's still leaning back against the tree trunk, a nasty frown on her face that had never had any effect on him. He'd seen worse and never even batted an eye then either. A perfect soldier she may appear to be, Yuri couldn't tell what her actual reaction would be if she ever found out about the Xyz invasion. She talked too much of honour.

But...

Even plants and trees needed some nudging sometimes, to ensure they grew in the right way that wouldn't hinder them in the future.

"Well, if they won't let you, maybe you should take your running off to another level and jump dimensions next?"

He says it humorously, but her head still snaps up to stare at him, scrambling to her feet as he gets up, two bouquets of branches in his arms. "Wha-"

"Might want to wait a while though, you'd be way too easy to find in the Xyz dimension. Who knows, a great chance might appear," he says, smiling and dropping the second bunch of lilac branches in Serena's arms, making her scramble not to drop them.

She looked down at the bundle with a confused look. "These?"

"You put them in a vase with some sun in your room and they bloom. They smell very nice, you know?"

"So, they're mine?"

"I wouldn't have given them to you if they weren't."

Her mouth formed a silent 'o' and looked down at them with a new look in her eye that he didn't really understand. "...Thank you."

He shrugged, his smile looking a little less mocking than usual without him realising it. "You're welcome."

* * *

Rin glanced around the tall building, trying not to let her unease show on her face. Look confident and like you belong and no one would give you a second look, so far it had worked without a hitch, she couldn't falter here.

It turned out the big skyscraper was, as far as she could tell, a dueling school, going by the kids and teenagers walking about, many looking to be close to her own age. She could see duel fields behind the large glass walls, almost all of them occupied, with quite a few onlookers.

Looking at the info on the boards or holograms only really confirmed she was in another dimension. Synchro summoning was there as being available to learn, a weird thought since there was nothing else back home, but she only recognised Fusion and Xyz thanks to Yugo mentioning them as the names of his friend's dimensions.

It hadn't even been a day and she already felt tired of all the dimension babble. She dreaded having to talk about it with others already.

She tried to pass off as someone who knew what they were doing by reading the screens set up on the walls. Now that she was actually here she wasn't sure what to do. Trying to blend in here had struck her mind at one point, but her general lack of existence in this world blared loudly as a warning. In the minds of everyone else here, she had just popped into being with no sign of ever having existed before and having that be known seemed like a large pain in the ass to deal with.

Plus this place was giving her Tops vibes up the wazoo. More than a few people looked like they were the most amazing being in existence and talking haughtily with their noses turned up, smarmy smirks in place and if she spent too long with people like this she couldn't trust herself to not resort to violence. Even if it was through a duel. Plus, she couldn't quite shake the feeling someone would come up to her at any moment and kick her out.

So, submitting to walking around aimlessly until she ran into a guy who she didn't even know the face of, Rin left the building without even a second glance.

Navigating streets was something she prided herself on, even completely unknown ones like these. Hopefully, she'd find or overhear something useful as she walked.

Eventually, the high buildings were left behind as more normal looking houses started appearing, the area now looking more like a neighbourhood. Down a small grassy hill to her right, there was a river, running softly over the smooth rocks.

Rin slowed to a stop, staring at the water, the crystal colour reminding her of her best friends eyes. She recalls calling them pretty once when they were younger and how he had blushed and vehemently protested against being anything resembling 'pretty'.

She bit her lip, her stomach sinking as a feeling akin to loneliness started setting in. She had been away for maybe a day at the very most, she shouldn't be this silly just because Yugo wasn't with her.

But the running water reminded her that the last time she had seen him, he'd been near tears, and the thought made her chest twist unpleasantly.

 _'I'm being ridiculous,'_ she thought, shaking her head. ' _Standing around feeling sorry for myself won't get me home faster.'_

"Yuzu-oneechan?" A young sounding voice pipes up behind her.

Rin jolts, not realising someone had walked up behind her while she had been lost in thought. Last she'd checked the road had been devoid of people except for her.

Turning to look, she sees a small girl with bright red hair in a headband, two other boys standing behind her. She expected them to shrink back when they saw she wasn't a person they knew, but instead their faces light up and run up to her.

"I knew it was Yuzu-oneechan!"

The boy with short blue hair speaks, giving her a questioning look. "Shouldn't you be at the duel school by now?"

"Yeah yeah! Are you running errands?" The rounder boy wearing suspenders asks.

Rin blinked, feeling very confused. Clearly these kids had her confused for someone else, but she wondered about the plausibility of them still thinking she was this 'Yuzu' person even being this near. Shouldn't they have noticed by now? Was the kids around here more stupid in some way compared to the ones in City? "Um,"

"Did you have clothes like this, onee-chan?" The girl asked, tugging curiously at her jacket and boots. "They're really cool!" She looked up at her with wide, shining eyes and Rin felt a bit overwhelmed.

"And why's your hair green? And did you cut it?" The kid with suspenders asked, peering up at her with the same shining eyes. "It almost gives me shivers!"

"Huh? Did you change your bracelet?" The girl asks, taking her hand to look at it better and Rin had to hold back her knee-jerk reaction to slap her little hand away. Even in this world, people couldn't keep their grubby hands away from her bracelet it seemed.

"Is Yuya-oniichan not with you?" The blue haired boy asked, looking around as if he could spot him.

Rin stops. Yuya. These kids knew Yugo's friend and she couldn't believe this was happening, she really did just run into someone who could help, even if it was a bunch of kids. Did Yugo's luck rub off on her somehow? "Um he's, back at the school?"

"Oh, then let's go there together!" The girl says and grabs her hand and starts dragging her along happily. "Futoshi forgot something at school and we had to turn around on the way. Otherwise we would have been there by now!"

"I'm not-"

"It's not only my fault! You kept telling me to hurry up so I forgot in the rush!"

"Hey-"

"If you had better hold on your stuff you wouldn't forget it to begin with!"

"Hey, you two, stop fighting. We're going now right? We still have plenty of time to duel."

Rin quietly gave in to her fate as she was hoarded off by three kids half her size, arguing innocently with the third one playing peacemaker between the other two. Oh well, if the place she was going lead her any closer to figuring out what the hell was going on, she'd go along with it. There was a chance the Yuya they were talking about wasn't the one she was looking for, but she was honestly tired of walking around aimlessly. She didn't like not doing anything, not feeling like she was actively working towards something and walking around with no goal made her itch in frustration.

* * *

Rin stared up at the building in front of her, now for entirely different reasons. While the other was just massive in size, this one was just _weird_ in shape. Nothing was in what could be considered normal a normal shape or proportions. A giant tube with a glass wall sat on the side, something that looked like a rock wall was further away, a box-shaped part had metal fences as a roof and half of the walls with the words 'You Show Duel School' on it and, was that a slide?

"What's wrong, Yuzu-oneechan? Let's hurry and go inside!"

The kids had hurried ahead of her towards the entrance, the girl holding the door open with the boys having already gone inside form the looks of it.

"Sorry," she said, jogging up to her.

The inside looked a little more normal at least, if more colourful than any building she has seen before. There was a desk ahead, but the kids walked right past it and up some stairs, chattering amongst themselves, Rin following silently behind some steps behind.

"Are you finally here, Ayu, Futoshi, Tatsuya!? You're late for your hot-blooded training!"

She stopped at the loud voice, still out of sight from the room at the top of the stairs. She peered around the corner, seeing the kids leaving their backpacks by the couch and a man dressed in a red tracksuit with flames on it, whom she assumed was the source of the shouting.

"Sorry! We had to turn around and then we ran into Yuzu-oneechan!"

"Yeah, we almost missed her!"

"Yuzu?" The man's face turned very confused. "But Yuzu has been here the whole time."

"Huh?" Three voices let out sounds of confusion at the same time. "But she came with us! It's definitely Yuzu-oneechan!"

"She came with Yuya not long ago, what are you talking about?"

Rin decided now was probably a good time to stop eavesdropping and reveal herself, the sound of her steps interrupting the conversation.

The man in a tracksuits jaw almost dropped when he turned to her, even as the kids looked back and forth between them. "See, onee-chan was with us! ...Right?" Seems even the kids got unsure at the silence.

"...Yuzu?"

"Uh, no," she shook her head. "I'm not this 'Yuzu' person."

A stunned silence fell, broken by the kid's shocked shouts. "Eeeeeehhhhhhh?!"

This was making her uncomfortable, was it really that hard to believe she wasn't the person they thought she was?

"Dad? What's going on out here?" A voice called from the corner, the owner soon rounding it and meeting Rin's eyes and... oh.

At first, Rin thought she was looking in a mirror. But the differences soon made itself known to her the longer she looked. Pink pigtails to her shorter green, a uniform to her motorcycle suit, blue eyes instead of orange. She blinked, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, but no matter how many times she blinked the mirror image wasn't disappearing.

Now she understood why people mistook her for someone else.

"W-who...?" Her double stutters out, hands covering her mouth in shock.

She mentally shook herself out of her trance. This was going nowhere. "You're Yuzu, I'm guessing?"

"Huh?" she startles, before jerkily nodding. "Y-yes, I am, but how do you...?"

"These ones," she jerked her head towards the kids, who still stood in shocked silence, staring mutely at them. "Mistook me for you and brought me here."

"This is, quite a sight..." The man says shakily, hand in his short hair and looking wide-eyed at them and Rin was getting just a little tired of all the gawking for three different directions. "R-right, I'm Shuzo! And, what was your name?"

She crossed her arms and tried to feel more confident than she currently did. This whole day has been throwing her off-balance near constantly. "I'm Rin."

"Right, Rin! It's nice to meet you!" Shuzo said, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'm sorry our students dragged you here, but if you don't mind me asking... where are you from? And why did you come here?"

Yuzu looked very interested to hear the answer as well, standing next to Shuzo and looking at her with such wide eyes it almost made her twitch.

Rin gnawed on her lip, pondering how to answer without giving too much away. "I kinda, woke up at the harbour with no real clue how I got there." Not too outrageous a lie, hopefully they would buy it. "I wandered around until I ran into those three and just went along." Running her fingers through her hair, she now realised how silly it sounded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to deceive anyone."

"It's okay! We jumped to conclusions!" The little blue-haired kid quickly said, waving his hands. The other two quickly agreed, nodding.

Yuzu was about to open her mouth and say something, when another voice joined in.

"Yuzu? Shuzo? Did something happen, you're so slow-" The guy walked out beside Yuzu, only to grind to a halt when he looked at her, eyes widening. Rin experienced a similar feeling, her brain screeching to a halt because she _knew_ that face.

"Yu-" she almost flew forward towards him, only stop herself at the last second. It couldn't be Yugo, he should still be in the City. And now that she was looking closer, the hair was wrong, both in colour and style, the eyes were wrong and the posture wasn't quite right. It wasn't her Yugo.

"Yuya! Uh," Yuzu said, surprised, before wringing her hand. looking for words. She finally gestured towards her. "This is Rin."

Red eyes flashed with recognition and looked in shock at her, but for reasons other than just her striking resemblance to his friend. His mouth was opening and closing, resembling a fish. No one else except for her seemed to notice though.

"The kids accidentally brought her here when they mistook her for Yuzu," Shuzo said, laughing. "Quite an accident!

Rin didn't really listen, mind reeling at the thought that she had actually found the Yuya she was looking for and he seemed to recognise her in some way as well.

"I-I see." He smiled shakily, but there was something relieved in it as he nodded to her, his shoulders relaxing. "It's nice to meet you, Rin. I'm Yuya."

"Yeah," she said, giving a small smile back. "Nice to meet you."

Somehow, things were looking up, at least a little.

* * *

I'm honestly so sorry for the long wait on this one. I hit a block in writing this chapter and got struck by writing another fic that ended up way longer than i'd expected ^^;

I hope it's still a good chapter, even after the long wait! I'll try my best to not make the wait for the next one quite so long ;v;


	13. Can you Hear me?

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Yuya was very close to straight up fidgeting in place, arms behind his head and hopping slightly from foot to foot in the hallway, waiting for Yuzu and Shuzo to finish talking to their newest arrival.

He'd almost tripped on his own feet when he rounded the corner, only to almost do it again when he realised the mirror image of his friend standing there was _Rin_ _._ No matter what kind of description Yugo could have given him of how his best friend looked, nothing could have prepared him for her looking exactly like Yuzu.

 _/Yugo, I found her.\_

 _~Huh?~_

 _/Rin. Well, I didn't find her, the kids found her, but she's in the room next to me talking to Yuzu and her dad.\_

 _~Really?!~_

Yuya smiled. _/Yeah, she's okay. No injuries I could see either.\_

 _~Oh maaan...~_ Yugo trailed off in what seemed to be relieved, happy sobs, but if he was actually crying he couldn't tell. _~I'm so glad, that she's okay...~_

Right, this was great news. Rin had come here, which was a relief for all of them. He remembered the look of shock and relief that had crossed her face when she'd seen him, it had left him confused but the recognition and shared look had been enough to convince him she knew who he was. Now if only Yuya could talk to her alone and fill her in...

But it didn't look like he'd get that chance soon. There was also the other current problem.

"Hey hey, Yuya, why are you fidgeting so much? It's kinda distracting," Sora pipes up from his place against the wall, lollipop in his mouth as usual.

Yuya turns to him with a practised, bashful smile, laughing. "Sorry! This is so surreal, I can't seem to stand still."

"Hmm," Sora hums, looking at him for barely a second before shrugging. "Well, not like I blame you, it's not every day you see doppelgangers after all."

"Right?"

"Like maybe she's an alien! Or from some weird place, she's so rude after all..." Sora pouted, still looking annoyed from before.

"Huuh? There's no way that could be true. And you brought that onto yourself, you know," Yuya adds, looking as unbelieving and unimpressed as was necessary.

"You shouldn't go up to strangers and prod at them anyway," Ayu said, leaning against a wall with Futoshi and Tatsuya. "It's rude."

Sora looked sullenly at them. "Wasn't it you guys who dragged her here to begin with?"

"That's cus we thought for sure she was Yuzu-oneechan!"

Yuya smiled at the ruckus, even as his thoughts turned inwards.

Sora had arrived not long after Yuya, following after him and after a short moment of shocked silence, had started to excitedly ask what was going on and who the green-haired Yuzu double was, even going forward to poke her as if to check she was real.

Rin, showing off a temper that was both similar and different to Yuzu's, had promptly slapped his hand away, hard enough for everyone to hear the smack, glaring and irritably asking who the midget was. Sora hadn't taken kindly to that comment, angrily asking who she thought she was, ultimately ending up in an argument. In the end Shuzo had to loudly interrupt and asked the rest of them to step out for a bit so he and Yuzu could talk to her in private.

Yuya has to hold back a chuckle as he remembered how Rin, arms crossed with her back straight, had somehow managed to make Sora look even smaller and childish than usual, frowning down at him and looking wholly unimpressed even while angry.

Sora gives him a look. "Yuya, you're really weird."

He makes a comically angry face at him, before turning away with a 'hmph!' "Well, sorry about that!"

With Sora around, along with his uncanny ability to pop out anywhere with no notice, it had suddenly become much more difficult to talk to Rin alone, with no one overhearing them. No matter that Sora seemed like a nice guy, if he was from Academia, Yuya needed to be very careful with what he let slip in front of him.

But Yuya was confident in his acting skills. The people closest to him could see through his misdirection and small lies, but no one else. He didn't like lying to people, but he'd do it if necessary.

 _{Well, kid is definitely an Academia spy.}_

 _/Hey Yuri. You sure?\_

 _{If he's got blue hair in a ponytail with green eyes and kinda short, then yes.}_

 _/Sounds about right.\_

 _~Isn't that, really bad news? Yuto's coming over there right?~_

 _{It's a bit troublesome, definitely, but not the end of the world. Communication across dimensions aren't reliable or stable enough for reports, so they scan memories to see what the spy has seen during their mission.}_

Yuya shudders at that. _/That sounds freaky.\_

 _~Seriously.~_

 _{Anyway, as long as he doesn't see anything, it should be fine. Sounds the person has heard can't be played back again, either.}_

 _[Some part of me is curious about that tech, another, much bigger part, really doesn't want to know.]_

 _~Hey Yuto.~_

 _[Hi. How's everyone holding up? I heard Rin's been found?]_

 _/Yeah! I just rounded a corner of my school and she was just there, I was really surprised! Also, uh,\_

 _[What?]_

 _~Is something wrong after all?!~_

 _/No, no, everything's fine! It's just, she looks exactly like Yuzu.\_

 _~Huh?~_

 _[Yuzu is, your friend right?]_

 _/Yeah, since we were kids. They're like, mirror images, with the hair and eye colour being different. Oh, I guess their bracelets were different too?\_

 _{Bracelets?}_

 _[…..]_

 _/What? What's wrong?\_

 _~You guys are weirding me out with your silence!~_

 _[….Ruri has one too. A bracelet, with an odd design. Looks like it's made of silver, with a little yellow stone on it.]_

 _/...Oh.\_

 _~That, sounds like Rin's, but hers has a green stone. She never takes it off.~_

 _/Yuzu has one too. But it's a pink stone.\_

Yuya has to stop and remind himself to breathe for a second as the implications of their seemingly innocent discovery sent a tidal wave of thoughts and ideas over him.

Rin and Ruri are being targeted by Academia.

Yuzu and Rin look near identical.

All three have bracelets that sound similar when described.

Yuya took a slow, careful breath in, slowly let it out, then repeating the process, forcing his body to relax. The thought of Yuzu being a possible target hadn't even crossed his mind.

 _/I think. We need to talk more about this, later.\_

 _{You think?}_

 _~Uuugghh, why does it feel like things keep getting worse?~_

"What, you were all waiting out here for us?" Shuzo's voice made him turn around, the man standing with Yuzu and Rin down the hall at the entranceway for the lounge room. Yuzu kept glancing uncertainly over at Rin, who stood with her arms crossed over her chest and looking over their little group. Her eyes met his and he could see a tint of impatience in them, brow slightly furrowed and hand clenched over her sleeve, body tense.

 _'She wants to know about Yugo'_ he realised. He couldn't blame her. He gave her a reassuring smile and a nod, hoping it would help quell her worries at least a little.

"I was worried something was wrong, of course I'd wait," he said, smiling and walking up to them.

"I'm just curious," Sora said, arms behind his head.

"We were worried though!" Ayu said, she and the boys running up behind him. "So? What's gonna happen?"

"Right! So, we've talked a little and, since Rin here doesn't seem to have any place to sleep, she'll stay with us until further notice."

The kids start chattering excitedly, asking questions left and right. Yuya looks at Yuzu, who's been strangely quiet during the conversation. "You okay, Yuzu?"

She jolts, looking at him properly and smiling apologetically. "Yeah! I'm fine, just a little, bewildered? This feels very surreal." She looks over to Rin, who nods after a moment.

"Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting to see today."

Yuya laughs, genuinely. "Looking at you next to each other like this, you'd think you were twins!"

"Hey, Yuya," Yuzu says, exasperated, but she was smiling at least. Rin had turned quiet again, looking inquiringly at him.

"Anyway, is it really ok? To intrude on you like this?" Rin looks over at Yuzu, frowning. "I don't want to be a bother..."

"Of course it's ok," Yuzu quickly says, with no room for argument. "It's no trouble at all."

"Then, are you gonna go here too?"

Rin looks at him, surprised. "Um, if I'm allowed? I won't say no to learning more about dueling, but it's not like I have any money to pay for it."

"Nonsense!" Shuzo cuts in, smiling wide. "Of course you'll come here and duel! You Show's entertainment dueling is second to none! So, how about a tour?"

The collective 'yeah!' among them seemed to make the decision before Rin could agree herself. She still looked a little out of her element, even as she got dragged off by Ayu and Yuzu to show off their school.

Yuya followed along, feeling like it would be longer than he hoped to talk to her alone. At least he could try to make her feel welcome until then. But for now...

He hurried up to walk beside her, but before he got to her side, he leaned forward over her shoulder and whispered 'he's fine' before moving back and walking at her side.

Rin's head whipped to him, eyes wide. He smiled in response, nodding his head twice and mouthed 'later'.

Her shoulders lowered noticeably as a huge breath left her. She smiled gratefully at him before turning back to the others, listening to their enthusiastic explanations of their duel school.

It wasn't the whole truth, but it was the basic one and it would do for now.

* * *

Wandering around their base feeling like he wasn't actually there and yet being hyper-aware of everything around him had become something of a daily occurrence. He felt floaty and distanced, yet twitched at loud sounds and shifting in place if he stood still for too long.

Maybe it was the general anxiety and nervousness of their daily life. Living in a warzone wasn't good for your mental health, even during downtime. The waiting on when the next attack would come, where it would come from and how was a near constant weight and it was exhausting to deal with.

Honestly, if he hadn't had Yuya, Yugo and Yuri to always talk to, he'd be much worse off. If even Shun and Ruri weren't here, maybe he would be little more than a hollow specter by now, existing only to fight.

But he was also impatient, to leave this place and go to Standard. To go to where Yuya is, bringing Shun and Ruri with him.

Dark Rebellion rumbled in anticipation, as eager as Yuto felt to finally get moving and _do something._ Even if they would sit and wait in Standard for a while as well, they would have moved, start to do something.

He wanted his three treasures safely by his side. And he would get to them, no matter what.

"Yuto!"

He stops in his path, looking back to see Ruri running up to him. The hall they're in is empty, this part of the tower almost completely empty save for storage usage.

"Ruri." He turns around fully as she stops and leans over a little to get her breath back. "What's up?"

"I've looked everywhere for you," she says, righting herself. "Is your duel disk on silent again?"

He blinks, before pulling it out, realising it was, indeed, on silent.

"Uh, sorry about that," he sheepishly says. "I wanted some quiet."

"Really," she sighed, but smiled soon after. "I'm surprised I didn't think to look here first. It seems like the type of place you'd wander around."

"Because it's quiet?"

She smiled playfully. "That, and because some people are convinced these places are haunted. So, perfect place for you."

Yuto frowned as she giggled. "Haha, very funny."

"I think half those rumours come from you walking around. I know many have been scared half to death thanks to you."

"You just love poking fun at that, don't you?" he sighed as Ruri broke down into titters again.

Yuto was, in almost every way, a quiet person. He talked quietly, though he had worked on raising his volume to not have to constantly repeat himself. He'd been shaken awake more than once by others who were afraid he was dead or dying because of how quiet his breathing was.

But most of all, his footsteps were quiet, he rarely made alot of noise when moving. It wasn't something he noticed himself, but he had an uncanny ability to sneak up on people and scare the daylights out of them. He didn't do it on purpose, even if people's reactions were quite amusing.

"Was there something you wanted?"

Ruri blinks, before her eyes lit up in realisation. "Oh, right! Allen was looking for you, he wanted to talk about the teleportation device with us."

Yuto jumps, before starting to walk hurriedly down the hall. "Tell me that sooner then!"

"Sorry, I forgot!" Ruri responds, following after him. "We need to pick up Shun too, I figured I'd let him sleep until I found you."

"Good plan, god knows he needs it."

His only response was Ruri's laughter, making him smile as well.

Allen had laid claim to a room not long after they had settled into the tower, after rations and supplies had been sorted and everyone had gotten their living quarters in order. Yuto had carried alot of mattresses over that time, his own somehow having survived the initial waves with only a few tears and dust on it. It had brought him alot of comfort sleeping on something familiar when his world was literally getting destroyed around him.

The small room their friend had initially occupied had turned into basically his tinkering room, before it was moved to a bigger one so he could work better to fix any important things they needed. He even taught basics to others so they could help out when things got hectic.

Allen sat at his makeshift desk, a thick wood plank supported by piles of bricks. His chair was the most well maintained, a computer chair brought over at the insistence of others, since he spent so much time sitting down and breaking down his back was not an option.

He looked up as they came in, face lighting up. Shun still looked a little sleepy and Yuto had wished they could have let him sleep longer, his friend got so little of it as it is. But he knew Shun would chew him out if they didn't wake him or pushed it back.

"Hey, you made it. Sit down wherever there's space, this shouldn't take long."

Ruri and Shun took a seat on the beat-up couch pushed up against the wall, Sayaka, whom they had run into on the way and had insisted on coming along, sat down next to Ruri, who now sat in the middle. Yuto sat on a free spot on a metal table nearby as Allen stood up and walked around his desk, picking up the duel disk he'd been tinkering with.

"I've been putting the teleportation system in this," he says, tapping against the disk. "Everything seems to look alright, but if I'm quite honest, I'm not comfortable sending you guys away on a 'seems like it'll work' status. Especially since testing these things isn't exactly an option."

Yuto nods along with the others, Shun speaking up afterwards. "So, what do you need for it?"

Allen's face turns grim, frowning. "That's the hard part. I would really like to get my hands on a functional, working Academia duel disk, so I can compare everything in it to the one I've made. But..."

Yuto stiffens, sensing the others doing the same. The vast majority of the few disks from Academia they have are broken ones, thrown away by soldiers when they couldn't be used anymore, only to be picked up and taken apart for spare parts for their own. A rare few times, a soldier would be knocked out, allowing them to take their disk from them. But Academia rarely sent out soldiers alone, mostly in groups of three. If there were fewer, or they were alone, they were very, very dangerous.

"I'll do it."

Yuto snaps his head over to Shun, golden eyes hard and determined.

"Shun-"

" _We're_ doing it," Ruri says before he could say anything more, looking over at him as if daring him to object. "All three of us are going, so we're all doing the necessary dangerous parts."

Shun opened his mouth as if to object, but closed it and chewed on his lower lip. Yuto met his eyes. He agreed with Ruri and was not about to be pushed aside for his friend to put himself in danger alone.

He was silent, before letting out a sigh. "Ok, we're doing it," he looks back at Allen. "How many do you need?"

Allen is smiling at them, sharing an amused look with Sayaka who was hiding a smile behind her hand. "Just one. I just need to compare them to make sure everything's in order. I've already broken the lock that keeps you from teleporting somewhere you're not supposed to, and the sensor that keeps track of where you went."

Yuto clenches his fists around the edge of the table. So close, they were so close.

Sayaka lays a hand on Ruri's shoulder, face pinched but trying to be hopeful. "Just, be careful ok? Come back safe."

Ruri smiles and takes her hand, gripping it tightly. "Of course, don't worry. We'll come back in no time."

Yuto nods sharply, getting up. All they needed now was another duel disk from their enemy.

And looking at Shun's sharp eyes, having gained a predatory glint to them as he walked to the door, Ruri meeting his grey eyes with a similar look, he somehow felt sorry for whoever it was they were going to drop onto.

It was a bad way of thinking, underestimating their enemy was the first step to defeat.

But with Dark Rebellion growling in his mind, his monsters rustling and howling in preparation for their upcoming battle, he felt more secure in that thinking.

* * *

"Hey, hurry it up!"

Yugo holds back a flinch at the hit to his head, teeth clenched together in frustration. It wasn't his fault he couldn't walk faster in these stupid cuffs. If it was just his hands that were bound together it wouldn't be a problem, but these assholes had to cuff his ankles too. It felt unnatural making such short strides, even as the two guards on either side of him walked too fast for him to properly keep up with.

He hadn't even had enough time to put his shoes on. Hell, he'd been _sleeping_ when the cell door was suddenly loudly thrown open and he was pulled up from the bed, had his hands cuffed before being roughly shoved down the hall. They'd walked down a few halls before reaching nicer looking ones, where he had his ankles cuffed as well.

By the time they reached a set of double doors, his feet felt numb from the cold steel floor, his ankles and wrists hurting from the cuffs, along with his head, arms and shoulders after the guards decided he wasn't walking fast enough or he tripped when they shoved him. They'd either watch him struggle to stand up or just grab his arms and drag him back up. Needless to say, he was probably covered in bruises by now.

One of the guards pressed a button on a control pad and spoke. "Chief, we've brought him."

The doors slid open, revealing what he assumed to be an office. He didn't get a proper look before he was shoved forward again, somehow managing to keep his balance and not fall flat on his face.

It was definitely an office. There was a low table in the middle with two couches on either side. At the end, there was a desk, with a blonde man sitting behind it, hands clasped under his chin.

"Good work. You may leave."

"Yes, sir!"

He heard the doors slid close behind him, leaving him alone with this creepy man who was just, staring at him and smiling.

"Please, feel free to sit down." He gestured to one of the sofas, and while they looked very soft and inviting Yugo felt like he'd sell his soul the moment his behind met the cushions.

"No thanks, I'm fine."

He laughed, almost mockingly. "Is that so."

The man leaned back in his chair, hands still clasped together. "I suppose you've already guessed, but I shall introduce myself properly. I am Jean-Michel Roger, the Director of Security."

Yugo swallowed, trying to keep up his tough face and glare. What the hell did the head of security want with him?

"And you are Yugo, yes?"

"...Yeah."

Roger smiled and a disturbed shiver ran down his spine.

"You must be wondering just why I've brought you here, no?"

He slowly nodded.

"Well, I was quite impressed by the little stunt you pulled a few nights ago." He pressed a button on his desk, bringing up a screen with, Yugo realised as he felt like his body got colder, a recording of the night Rin was sent away.

He watched as his best friend held him back from interfering, until light started spreading around them, sparks of teal light and wind blowing around them, until it got bright enough to shield them from view...

Until it disappeared, leaving only him to collapse to the ground, exhausted.

Yugo let out a breath as Roger removed the screen, and he realised the man hadn't taken his eyes off him the whole time.

Despite himself, Yugo still flinched a little when the man stood up and walked around the desk, stopping in front of him, arms length away. He had to fight not to take a step back, now realising just how short he was in comparison. His hands and feet were still cuffed and he felt very helpless right now.

"I was quite surprised to see that on the camera's and I must ask, how on earth did you do it?"

He sounded impressed, a right amount of awe in his voice for Yugo to almost believe he was serious. But he hadn't grown up in the Commons for nothing, he wasn't that easy to deceive.

Yuri's and Yuya's words from an earlier conversation ended up echoing in his mind.

 _{Don't give anything away that could hint you know more than you should. Do not even hint at anything, do not trust anyone.}_

 _/Telling half-lies is easy. If you have trouble looking someone in the eye, stare between them or at their nose and they can't tell the difference. But looking away can be used to your advantage as well, it makes you look meeker than you actually are. Play dumb and you will be underestimated.\_

"Dunno," he shrugged, glancing away before looking back. He wasn't that good of an actor, but he'd use what he could. "It just kinda happened, not even sure it was me."

"Oh, but it most definitely was your doing. The energy readings unmistakably came from you."

A hand came up to rest against his shoulder and Yugo fought back the urge to jerk away.

"It's quite the mysterious power you have there. Just imagine everything you could do, if you could use it freely. Everything you could be, if we worked together."

 _'Basic sweet talking,'_ he thought. Many shady people used almost the exact same words, to bring people over to do what they wanted. 'Your dueling skills are something special'. Used often to lure people into underground dueling.

"I'm fine, thanks," he says, trying to keep his voice flat, even as he couldn't quite keep the glare from his face.

The man's mouth quirked slightly. "I assume the safety of your friend does not matter much to you either? How sad, with how valiantly she was protecting you, think if she finds out you had given up so easily on an opportunity of finding her."

 _'Rin's not here,'_ he thought, even as anger burned inside him at the words, making him bite the inside of his cheek. _'Rin's safe with Yuya, you can't touch her, you fucking bastard.'_

"I'll find her on my own, I don't need your help."

Roger frowned, just slightly, but it made him tense up. The man sighed, removing his hand slowly and his skin crawled under his jacket as the damn hand took it's sweet time getting off him.

"What a shame, I'd hoped we could cooperate peacefully, but if it's come to this." He walked back to his desk, pressing another button.

It happened fast. Suddenly, four security guards filed into the room, two grabbing him under his arms and hefting him up and off the floor. "Hey! What the hell?!"

"Take him to the examination room," Roger says, voice empty of emotion as if he was discussing the weather, sitting back down at his desk. "Have the doctors run the basic tests, then put him to sleep. We'll start the first experiments as soon as possible."

Yugo went cold, face paling. Experiments?

"Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!" he screams, kicking his legs as best he could and struggling against the hands holding him, to no avail. He couldn't even run with his legs bound like this, he realised. He'd get caught immediately.

"Yes, sir."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

But no one answered him, Roger only looking at him with a calculating expression that made his skin crawl.

"I'd hoped you would follow my orders obediently, but this speeds things up much faster." He leaned his chin on his hands, smiling. "I'll find out what makes you crack soon enough, don't you worry. Take him away."

With those words leaving a sick feeling in his stomach, he was carried off by the silent guards down the halls. He soon grew tired from his struggling, his cuff's weighing him down. He was cold and getting dizzy and his arms hurt from how he was carried and he'd never felt more helpless in his life, frustrated tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

 _~I wish you guys were here...~_

* * *

The Xyz gang is gonna fuck up some fusion trash

And Yugo is getting worse and worse off. I swear he's my favourite character.

Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter!


	14. Humming Heart

/Yuya\

~Yugo~

[Yuto]

{Yuri}

* * *

 _[...So, now what?]_

 _{Give me two minutes.}_

 _/Yuri, wait-\_

 _{I'm not doing anything stupid, but I need to cool down before I actually do something stupid.}_

 _/Ok, good just, don't be too long.\_

 _[We'll worry you'll actually-]_

 _{You don't need to finish that sentence, Yuto. Even thinking it is like chewing glass right now.}_

 _[...Thanks.]_

 _/Uuugh I hate this! Is there really nothing we can do?\_

 _[Right now, no. I want nothing more than to go to him, but we need to be, sensible.]_

 _/I know… I'm just frustrated. And worried.\_

 _[Me too, Yuya.]_

 _{If only that idiot would take down that damn block so we wouldn't crawl on the walls ourselves.}_

 _/Yeah but, can you blame him?\_

 _{Yes. I don't like it and I clearly told him I'd smack him if he did it again last time. Same goes for you Yuya, Yuto, you ever try it I will hit you when I find you.}_

 _[Yeah yeah, sure. I'll hold you to that, in that case.]_

 _/…Not much else we can do but wait for now, then.\_

* * *

"Yuya? Are you okay?"

He twitches, but looks up at her with a smile that was a little strained at the edges.

"I'm fine, Yuzu! Why are you asking?"

"You've been staring at the card in your hand for a full five minutes without moving."

He blinks, before looking at the card in his hand. Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon stares back, unmoving and unchanging, unlike the transformation it had undergone during the duel against Strong Ishijima. Yuya had insisted it was still the same dragon, still his ace monster. _"He's just, you know, evolved! Achieved his true form!"_

"Ahaha," he laughs awkwardly, scratching at a spot under his goggles. "Sorry, I completely spaced out."

' _Yeah, definitely'_

She frowns, but she can tell she won't get anything else out of him right now, so she sinks down into the couch next to him instead with a big sigh. "Really, sometimes I wonder what's going on inside your head, for you to space out so much!"

Yuya laughs again, though this time it sounded more genuine, as he returned to going through his deck. "Who knows?"

Yuzu's lips form a thin line as she leans her elbows on her knees, sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye.

Yuya has been so jumpy lately, twitchy almost. She had caught him staring off into space more often lately and often he'd had such a serious look on his face, she thought something had happened.

Even before, his red eyes had such a severe look in them, looking far away from the room he was in, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and she'd had to hold herself back from grabbing his shoulders and shaking him madly and yelling at him to _stop._

Stop what, she didn't really know.

She only knew when he looked like that, she almost didn't recognise him as Yuya at first glance, and it scared her. But then he'd snap right back to being the Yuya she knew like it was nothing.

"Yuzu?"

She snaps back into focus, shaking her head slightly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Who's spacing out now?" he says with a teasing tone, smiling.

"Oh shush." She rolls her eyes, trying not to let her embarrassment show even as a smile pulls at her mouth. "What did you say?"

"I asked how Rin's doing. She's still staying with you right?"

"Oh, yeah, she is. We haven't found any trace of her home, not that she seems like she wants to talk about it much…" she leans back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "I wonder if something happened."

Yuya hums, thinking as he puts his deck back in his holder. "It's not really our business to pry, though."

"I guess…"

She really was worried though. She may not have noticed if they weren't living in the same house, but hints pointed towards her doppelganger not having had the most vibrant life before she came here. The thought gnawed uncomfortably at the inside of Yuzu's stomach. She wanted to help somehow, but the other girl obviously disliked being coddled in any way...

"So, how about you?"

Yuzu starts, looking back at him with, confused. "Huh?"

"How are you doing? With suddenly having a body double of yourself around."

She quiets, thinking over how to answer as Yuya waits.

"It's, a bit weird I guess, but not bad? Dad thinks we might be related, since we look so alike and have similar bracelets," she looks at the circle around her wrist, the pink stone catching the light. She doesn't notice Yuya's eyes focusing on it as well. "And that's not a bad thought, honestly, but it doesn't quite feel right? I don't really know how to explain it." She plays with her bracelet, the metal cool under her fingertips. She smiles. "But it's been fun, to have a girl my age to talk to."

Yuya smiles next to her, leaning back against the cushions with his arms behind his head. "That's good. You've got a new opponent now to boot, as well."

Yuzu smiles wryly. "Yeah."

Thinking about how Rin had near mopped the floor with her in their last and so far only duel made her incredibly frustrated. The fact she knew synchro summoning wasn't the only factor, but the composure and aggression she had when dueling sent a chill up her spine, and not just because of her Wind Witch monsters.

Meeting her eyes during the duel had been hard. It brought an entirely new feeling to her. Like Rin was dueling for something important, something other than victory or bringing smiles to people. Everything had kinda thrown her off and her showing had, in retrospect, been pretty poor.

She tried not to think about it too much. Rin had even uneasily apologized after, asking if she'd been too rough and how she was used to dueling that way with everyone, except her best friend. Yuzu wanted to ask more about her friend, but something told her it was a touchy subject.

She got brought out of her thoughts when Yuya slaps her shoulder, making her yelp.

"Hyaa!" she jumps.

"Right! No more frowny faces!" Yuya bounces up from his seat, stretching. "It's about time for our run, right? Let's go! I need to use all my energy for something!"

"Huh? Wait, Yuya, that stung! And don't run in the halls, you'll ram into someone!"

"I'm not running!"

He really wasn't, it was more like an energetic skip with no actual skipping, but it had slipped out without her thinking about it.

Yuya looked back at her, smiling slightly with a concerned look in his eyes. "You okay?"

She smiled and it only felt a little forced. "Yeah, I think so."

"You'll be fine. We'll be fine." It felt like he was referring to more than their current conversation, but it was reassuring all the same.

Yuzu followed after Yuya down the hall, hurrying to keep up with him.

* * *

"See anything yet?"

Yuto looks up at Shun, who sat on a building, partially hidden behind a big sign and keeping lookout, duel disk raised and set to scanning mode. He glances down to where Yuto stood on another, shorter building, pulling down the bandana covering the lower half of his face.

"Not yet. You?"

He pulls up his goggles and removes his mask, not needing them for now. "Not much else than more rubble and dust."

"I never thought I'd be actively searching out Academia soldiers."

Yuto feels a smile pull at his mouth. "There's a first for everything, don't you think?" Shun responded by grunting, still scanning the area below them. It used to be a large crossing between big roads and stores, with a beautiful fountain in the middle of it all. Usually, enemy soldiers would pass through here quite frequently.

So of course, the one time they were actively seeking them out, they were nowhere to be seen, forcing them to split up in hopes of finding some before they lost what little daylight they had.

"Any word from Ruri?"

"She should be back any second now," he says, looking at the clock on his duel disk, the time they decided to meet up again just barely a minute away.

Shun had barely opened his mouth to speak again before they heard scrambling on the other side of the building, making them both tense up, only to relax when a head of long dark hair popped up over the edge.

Ruri climbed up the emergency escape ladder and onto the roof, panting slightly as she walked over to them, waving her hand in greeting, pulling off her sunglasses.

"Run far?" he asks, lips quirked.

"Kind of," she responds, getting her breath back.

"You went beyond the borders we promised on and forgot the time, didn't you?" Shun says, voice flat and a disapproving frown on his face that only deepened when Ruri froze.

She pulled off the red cloth around her face and looked up at him with a guilty smile. "How did you guess?"

"It wasn't hard with your earlier mood. You're not that hard to read, Ruri."

Well, Yuto certainly wouldn't have guessed. Maybe with a little prodding, but not right off the bat. Maybe it's a siblings thing, or just something people who have been close for a long time can do.

A small thought wondered if he would be able to do that with Yuya, Yugo and Yuri. If he couldn't, maybe he didn't know them that well after all.

He pushed it down, it wasn't the time for self-doubt.

"So, did you find anything?" he asks Ruri instead.

She shakes her head. "Nothing."

Yuto frowns. "Same here."

"Maybe we should continue tomorrow…"

Yuto frowns, looking up at the smog covered sky in thought. They could go searching tomorrow, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't itching to get to Standard. He was anxious to meet Yuya, enough so that he could be jumping in place if he had less self-control.

But he also wanted to get Ruri away from here. The possibility of her being taken away when they weren't watching was gut-wrenching and he could tell it was taking its toll on her. Shun looked more and more high strung by the day and getting him to relax even a little was getting harder and harder.

All of them were tired and thinned down and Yuto refused to let them break on him.

"Maybe we won't need to."

Yuto looks questioningly up at Shun, still in the same position but now looking intensely at a point on the ground. He motioned for him and Ruri to come closer without looking away. They climbed up as quietly as they were able and peeked over his shoulder in the direction he was pointing.

A group of three, wearing the Academia uniform, two in yellow and one in blue. They seemed to be chattering amongst themselves as they walked leisurely among the debris and ruins they helped create.

Yuto near automatically focused on the duel disks strapped to their arms, ready to be used whenever the owner needs it.

He took a few steps back and looked at Ruri and Shun. "Are we going for it?"

Shun nodded sharply, standing up and placing his duel disk in place. Ruri did the same, clenching her hand over it. "It's the best chance we've got."

Yuto nods. He brings out his disk and puts it on, before walking to the edge of the roof and jumping down to the smaller building, hearing the other two follow him down. He stops before leaping to the ground, waiting for their targets to get closer. Ruri and Shun stop on either side of him as he pulls down his goggles and puts his mask back on.

"You two ready?"

They nod, faces hard as they put on their gear again, before they all leap off the roof to the ground.

Time to play hunter.

* * *

His head feels like it's full of cotton, yet it's heavy at the same time, along with the rest of him, his body feeling sluggish and numb. Something was strapped to his head, or over it, cold and heavy and obscuring his vision, making the steel he was lying on feel that much colder and uncomfortable. Something was stuck in his arms and it felt weird, despite the numbness in his body.

There were murmurs, people were speaking but he couldn't make out what they were saying and he thinks someone was moving around near him.

Yugo thinks he's supposed to be unconscious right now. Instead, he was stuck in a half-awake state, absently knowing things were happening around him but not able to completely wake up and do something.

He tried concentrating on Clear Wing, who was finally closer to him and rumbling to him to try and keep him calm despite the panic rising in his chest. The dragon was with the rest of his deck some ways away and it was a relief, even if they weren't completely with him.

The movement stopped and the voices die out…

He lets out a small gasp as pain hits the inside of his skull.

Just a sharp prick, not bad enough that he couldn't deal with it.

But then it increased. He clenched his hands together, nails digging into his palms.

He bit his lip hard and twist his body in an attempt to get away. But something hard and cold was digging into his wrists, ankles, chest, legs and _he couldn't move whycouldn'themove?_

It felt like static was running into and through his head and it _hurt._

 _ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsmakeitstopmakeitstop_

He clenched his teeth. His mind clouded over with pain that only increased and his chest hurt, it burned inside him and twisted and it _hurtmakeitstop._

 _stopitithurtsplease_

His lips parted in a scream that echoed through his very core.

 _ **STOP IT**_

 _ **WE WON'T BE HURT ANYMORE**_

The restraints give and break loose as he trashes and yanks at them, limbs finally free _(hecanmovehecanfinallymove_ _ **they'refreenothingwillhurtthemagain**_ _)._ His vision is hazy, his breaths quick and heavy as he struggles to sit up.

Hands reach up to roughly drag off the thing on his head and throw it into the wall with a loud bang as it was smashed into pieces. The pain of something being yanked out of his arms barely registered as he shakily stood up. He vaguely notice his hair wavering around his face, the room brighter than he thought it would be, but it didn't hurt his eyes.

His body felt light, like if he had a little more in him he could up and fly away.

People were screaming, panicking and he could feel their fear from where he stood.

Somewhere deep down, it felt familiar.

But not to him.

Never to him.

He raise his head up to lock eyes with the man behind the now cracked glass, standing up with dread colouring his once mocking eyes. A dragon's cry rang out, making the humans shrink back even further as terror took over, blending with the suffocating dread and oppressive air that filled the space they occupied.

Glowing eyes hardened, now painfully bright as a white light shined in the middle of the crystal blue colour.

 _ **You will not touch him.**_

The air shifted. Something felt like it slipped away, gently but abruptly, and the light died off as Yugo collapsed to the floor of the now dark room.

* * *

Yuya gasped, jerking to a halt as he grasped at his chest. His heart felt like it was being squeezed and it felt like something was blaring warning signals in his head. It flared up, then lowered down but still present.

' _Not the time…'_ He thought in frustration, as the sounds of the others excited voices came from the room just a few steps down the hall he stood in.

He couldn't join them, not like this, the pain and the foreboding feeling was still there, making the walls feel like they were closing in on him. He needed to get out.

The others hadn't seen him yet, so he backed away as quietly as he could and went back down the hall. The trip down the stairs almost ended with him falling down the rest of the way, but he managed to keep his balance until he reached the bottom floor.

He ignored the entrance and turned to go out the back, where no one from the street could see him. The fresh air hit him as he pushed open the door and he gulped it down as he slid down against the wall, letting his head hand between his bent legs and resting his arms on his knees.

The other three felt terrible as well, he realised. Were they experiencing the same thing?

With every breath of air, the dark pulsing inside subsided, calming down slowly. He did his best sharing his gradually returning calm with the others, hoping it helped at least a little.

 _/You guys okay?\_

 _{Ugh, somewhat.}_

 _/Yuri, you know what happened?\_

 _{No clue, but… I don't like the direction it's coming from.}_

 _/Huh?\_

Yuya hadn't noticed, but now that he had a clearer head, he realised with dread the pain had come from Yugo's direction and it felt like his breath had gotten stuck in his chest.

 _/Damnit.\_

 _{You don't say.}_

He twitches, focusing on breathing while clenching and unclenching his hands. _/I think Yuto's doing badly.\_

"You doing okay over there?"

Yuya jumps, swinging his head in the direction of the voice. His first thought is 'Yuzu', then he realised she didn't have green hair.

Rin was looking down at him with a worried frown, door held open in one hand, other resting on the frame.

Had he been gone that long already? Or had she seen him leaving and followed after him?

He smiles weakly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just needed some fresh air."

"Oh. You need anything?" Even as she talks, she's stepping through the door fully and letting it close behind her. There was a kind of intensity behind her eyes that Yuya could easily guess the reason behind.

 _{Yuya?}_

 _/Sorry, Rin found me.\_

 _{You fill her in then, you haven't been able to yet, right? I'll take care of Yuto.}_

 _/Thank you, Yuri.\_

He draws a big breath and let it out, feeling his shoulders lower with it. The pain had fizzled out, but there was still an ache in his chest. He looked up at Rin to look her in the eye, smiling. "I'm guessing you have questions?"

She blinks in surprise, probably thrown off by how direct he was being, but he saw no point in beating around the bush. Apparently, she wasn't either.

"How's Yugo?" Rin focused hard on him and he could see her hands form into fists at her side. "Is he okay?"

Yuya had to curse the timing. Right when it seemed like Yugo was in a more stable place, something went and happened. He stared at the ground, thinking how to best convey it without her freaking out. He barely handled it himself sometimes.

"Should I start from the beginning?" he goes with. "It's gotten a bit complicated, but he's definitely alive. I know that much for sure."

Rin flinches and goes quiet, but she nods and sits down next to him.

"Don't leave anything out, or I'll smack you."

Yuya smiles wryly, and starts talking.

* * *

 _{Yuto.}_

 _[Y-Yuri?]_

 _{Yes it's me, you dolt. Calm down already, I can feel your ghastliness from here.}_

 _[I, I don't know what's happening, it hurts everything hurtshurtshurtshurts-]_

 _{YUTO.}_

 _[...]_

 _{You losing control is not something we need. What are you doing?}_

 _[I'm…]_

 _{You're?}_

 _[Dueling. Against Academia. They'll paypaypaypaytheywillall_ _ **PAY**_ _]_

 _{Stop. It! Who are you with?}_

 _[...Huh?]_

 _{You told us you were going out with two others, your friends. Where are they?}_

 _[Oh… they are,]_

 _[Here, right here. They're screaming. But I can't hear what they're saying.]_

 _{Do you want to hurt them?}_

 _[Huh?]_

 _{I said, do you want to hurt them? Because at this rate, you will, if you don't calm down.}_

 _[...Right, this is, bad. But I don't know what to do.]_

 _{Just fall asleep then. They'll take care of you, right? If not I'll hunt them down myself.}_

 _[...There's no need for that.]_

 _{Well then, there's no need to worry, right? We'll be here when you come to.}_

 _[Okay… thank you.]_

 _{...Just pass out already, idiot.}_

* * *

Rin slumped back against the wall, emotions clawing for relevance inside her as Yuya finished talking and fell silent.

The first one she could tangle out was worry, gnawing at her like a parasite. Next was frustration, coupled with anger, and as they all melded together she gave in to the urge to punch the ground, hard. It didn't help but the sting helped take her mind off the storm raging inside her head. Her teeth clenched together, eyes narrowed in anger as her nails dug into her palm, hands shaking.

"Hey, don't hurt yourself." Yuya pipes up beside her.

She turned to look at him, even as it hurt a little to look at him now. She thought she'd gotten over it, he and her best friend may look alike but they weren't completely identical in every way and she focused on those differences, to keep her focus.

Opening her hand, she stared at the little dents in her palm. She'd actually managed to break the skin, tiny little blood drops visible. She could almost hear Yugo telling her to take better care of herself, in one of the rare occasions he would chew her out, god knows she needed it sometimes. And he was the only one she allowed to do it.

"Sorry. Just need to let that sink in," she says, voice kept purposefully flat, even as she scowled at the ground.

"I get it, don't worry. But I'd rather not tell Yugo you got hurt while I was watching, he'd be pissed."

She cracks a small smile, wiping her hand on her shorts. "I'll be careful then."

Yuya smiles back, leaning back against the wall behind them and looking up at the sky.

"It's all kinda messy and we're still waiting for him to talk to us and take down the block, but I'll let you know as soon as possible when he does."

"Thanks. Can I like, say stuff for you to pass on?"

He grins at her. "Of course!" His grin turns slightly embarrassed, "Ah but, keep anything too sentimental to a minimum, ok?"

She quirked an eyebrow, amused. "What, you don't shower your head buds with loving words every day?"

He flushes at her words, flailing with his hands. "No! We bicker sometimes, but mostly we talk normally! I mean, sometimes I can get a bit mushy- wait all of us do, but can you blame us? It's normal in this situation, right?"

Rin laughs, feeling just a little lighter than before. "I'm messing with you, no need to get so flustered."

Yuya frowns at her, turning away, his face still a little red. "A-anyway, Yuto should come soon, if all goes well, then we'll plan on when we can meet up. I need to talk to Yuzu soon, as well." His expression turned thoughtful, crossing his arms over his chest. "She doesn't know anything yet, I just hope she'll believe me."

"I'll back you up when the time comes."

"It's hard to believe with no real proof. But I'm worried about Sora, too," he says in a lower voice.

"He's really an Academia spy?" she asks in the same low tone.

Yuya nods, glancing up at the windows above them. All of them were closed.

"Pretty much one hundred percent sure. He doesn't seem like too bad of a guy, but I'd rather be careful." He frowns, eyes cast down on his shoes. "Too much of a risk not to be."

Rin nods in understanding. "I'll watch it, if he tries anything I'll knock his teeth out."

Yuya laughs, before he hops up on his feet, stretching out his arms above his head and leaning back a little.

"Right," he turns to look at her as she stands up as well and holds out his hand to her. "Now that you're up to speed as well, let's both do our best, Rin!"

She blinks at the hand, looking at Yuya's encouraging smile and earnest eyes, before smiling herself and grasping his hand firmly with her own, a sense of relief and confidence flowing through her.

"Yeah."

* * *

Ruri has apocalypse face gear and the other yuboys has the fancy yuya berserk eyes now because i said so(and it's cooler/neater that way v)

Sorry for the long wait, chrstimas and new years celebrations kinda kicked my ass, but i hope it was enjoyable!


	15. Birds and Scales

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

* * *

Something pierced his chest.

Then it felt like it was burning.

Yuto gasped, hunching over and clutching at his shirt. His body felt warmer suddenly, pinpricks piercing his heart like it wanted to make it burst, but it only burned more and _more and more and_ _ **more-**_

"Hah! Looks like your comrade is getting cold feet."

"What's wrong? You got so scared you can't continue anymore?"

There's laughter from the other side of the field, mocking and arrogant. It rings in his ears, muffled until all he could make out was the emotion behind them.

"You sure you don't just want to surrender? It'll save some time and useless struggling."

So sure of their victory, so sure of their safety. They didn't need to worry about coming back alive, about their friends and comrades coming back safely. It was their fault they were all gone, _ **they were the reason-**_

"Yuto?"

"Yuto, what's wrong?"

The heat spread from his chest, his blood felt like it was burning under his skin and it _hurthurthurthurteverythinghurts_ _ **whydoesithurt-**_

A howl he didn't recognise echoed in his ears, pained and worried and **furious.**

Dark Rebellion was roars in his ears, urging him to let it out on the battlefield.

To let him fight.

"Rocket Hermos Cannon! Attack the Xyz scum directly!"

The big floating weapon turned to aim right at him, the barrel lighting up as it gathered energy, before shooting a big blast. Someone is screaming his name, but he can't make them out. His body moves on instinct, his voice unfamiliar and rough as words spill out without thought.

"When an opponent attacks me directly and I control no cards, I can special summon Phantom Knights Dark Gauntlets from my graveyard in defense position!"

Dark armour rises from the ground, bringing red fire with it as it floats in the air, empty but with a clear _something_ residing inside its metal husk. Red eyes glow from behind the helmet, gauntlets crossing in front of itself as it floats in front of him, a low humming coming from it.

"If summoned this way, it gains 300 defense for every Phantom Knights spell and trap card in my graveyard." The monsters numbers tick up from 0 to 1800 from the six cards in his graveyard. The blast from the cannon hit the armour, but it merely inch back before shrugging it off with a cry, throwing up wind and dust over the area.

The enemy cough and cover their eyes from the dirt, frowning in frustration as their destructive spree is stopped in its way.

"Shit, you've only prolonged the inevitable! I end my turn!" The owner of the cannon spits out as his monster float back to his side.

"My turn…" he forces out between clenched teeth, fingers gripping the card on top of his deck. His body was burning and his monsters are eager to fight, their howls vibrating under his fingertips. He draws, feeling like lightning came from the card as it was pulled from his deck. He sets the card down on his disk.

"I summon Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" Another set of armour appears, more mechanic looking than the previous one, blue and red fire spilling out of the metal and forming its body. "I activate Phantom Knight's Possession. I can make the level of one monster I control the same level as one other monster. I make Ragged Gloves the same level as Dark Gauntlets." The two monsters gain a purple sheen as the sound of ghastly rattling comes from the monsters, sensing what is coming. His chest burns hotter.

"I overlay my level four Dark Gauntlets and Ragged gloves!" The familiar swirling galaxy forms at his feet, his monsters morphing into rays of light to form into a new being. "Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose its treacherous fangs. Descend now!"

"Xyz summon! Rank four, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

His dragon lets out a loud cry as it appears on the field, echoing into his screaming core and resonating with something deep down. It felt nostalgic.

"When Ragged Gloves is used as summon material for a Dark Xyz monster, it gains 1000 attack." Dark Rebellion roar, lightning and energy swirl around its body as it's attack increases.

They can feel the seeds of fear start to grow.

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect. By detaching one overlay unit, I can halve one monster's attack and add it to Dark Rebellion's. I choose Barbaroid the Ultimate Battle Machine."

One of the two glowing orbs pop and rain over his dragon as lines of lightning tighten over the opponent's monster. Dark Rebellion's attack rises to 5500. "I detach the remaining overlay unit to activate the effect once again." His voice felt rough and echoed as he spoke. His dragon's attack rose to 6500.

They were shaking so pitifully now, as the horizon of demise was bore down on them, glaring like the sun that had been missing for so long. Their fright stained the dusty air and somehow it made them out to be even more worthless sights than before.

Once thought to be invincible and untouchable in every battle, he could nearly see their worldview crack and shatter at the edges. So fragile in the face of a force much out of their league, it was almost laughable, pitiful even.

Too bad he didn't care.

" **Battle."**

For they would **pay.**

His voice rises to a shout. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attack Barbaroid the Ultimate Battle Machine!"

Dark Rebellion roars, taking to the air, large gusts of wind following his ascent and making his cloak flap wildly around his legs. He circles, before diving down towards his target.

No cards were set on their field. From the fear and panic painted across their faces, he doubted any of them had the mind to activate any of them.

Dark Rebellion hits it's target with a loud explosion, ticking down the others life points to zero as they fly back, screams filling the air. They hit the ground with a thud, even as the smoke and dust hid them from view.

But it wasn't enough. Two were still standing. He would destroy them all. Nothing would be enough until _**all of them were destroyed-**_

For a moment the sound of rustling leaves and the scent of plants and flowers passed by, so quick he almost missed it.

 _{Yuto.}_

* * *

Waking up was a hurdle and a slow process. His body was aching, a dull throbbing that almost felt muted and his head felt like a cement block. Moving was sluggish so he gave up on that for now, focusing on breathing instead and trying to move his fingers. He tapped the surface he was laying on, finding it soft and sinking under his finger as he pressed down on it.

A bed? Or a mattress at least, but why was he…?

 _[Ow…]_

 _/Bwuh, what…? Wait, Yuto?! Are you okay?! What happened? We were so worried!\_

 _~Woah Yuya, slow down there, you're making my head hurt.~_

 _/S-sorry! I didn't mean to...\_

 _~It's cool.~_

 _{Can't say I blame you, with the scare both of you have given us.}_

The voices make him relax almost immediately, growing lax against the bed under him and breathing out. The presence of one in particular makes him perk up though. _[Yugo?]_

 _~Yeah man, I'm here.~_

 _[That's good, I was worried…]_

 _~Sorry. Yuya and Yuri have both chewed me out way too much already though, so please spare me yours.~_

 _/It was deserved and you know it.\_

 _{Yes.}_

 _[Don't do that again.]_

His thoughts got clearer as he slowly woke up, but he didn't want to open his eyes yet, instead basking in the feeling of them all being present again. He could tell Yugo was tired, exhaustion radiating off him in waves and it made knots of worry twist his stomach, but he didn't seem scared or worried. He was too tired to keep asking, but he'd grill him for answers later.

 _[When did you come back?]_

 _~Not too long ago, you didn't miss much.~_

 _/I'm glad you're both back, at least. Yuto, how are you feeling?\_

 _[Heavy? I feel sore, and my body feels a little cold. But otherwise I'm fine.]_

 _/That really doesn't sound fine to me.\_

 _[Um, sorry?]_

 _{What happened? You weren't exactly coherent when we spoke.}_

 _[...I don't know. My heart suddenly felt like it had been stabbed, and then it felt like my body was burning. I don't remember much else, besides talking to you.]_

 _{Well, that doesn't tell us much. At least we know it wasn't random.}_

 _[Huh?]_

 _~...Sorry. I guess that was my fault?~_

He froze, something cold and heavy curling in his chest as the memories of pain and burning filled his head.

 _[...Yugo.]_

 _~...Yes?~_

 _[What happened.]_

 _{I would like to know as well, since you've chosen not to share why all of us suddenly had chest pains at the same time.}_

 _~Uh how 'bout we take that later? Yuto sounds really tired and stuff, so maybe when he's better?~_

 _/Yugo. Tell us.\_

 _~Can't we take it later? Please? I'm, really tired too and kind of not at all in the mood to talk about it.~_

 _/That does NOTHING to calm us, you know?\_

 _~I know, I know! But still, please? Just this once?~_

 _[...]_

 _{...}_

 _/…\_

 _~Hey, don't go all quiet on me, it's freaking me out.~_

 _/...Fine. If it's that important we won't push, but you WILL tell us at one point! Promise!\_

 _~Yeah! I will don't worry, just-~_

 _[It's okay, I don't think I'm in the best condition to take this all in. I feel a bit woozy.]_

 _{I will hold you to that. Don't think I'll forget.}_

 _~Y-yeah sure, no need to get all threatening over it, geez.~_

 _{Apparently it's needed sometimes over here.}_

 _/But, you both seem really tired, why not rest for a bit? We'll talk again later.\_

 _[Yeah, sounds good… I'm gonna sleep for a bit more.]_

 _~Me too, my eyes are heavy as shit. Ugh, it hurts.~_

 _/Do they now.\_

 _~Uh, yeah! Cause, cause I'm tired, yeah! Sleepy, ahahaha...~_

 _{Of course.}_

 _[Cool it with the threatening auras while I'm trying to sleep. Also, Yugo, prepare for a grilling when I'm awake again.]_

Yugo grumbles but doesn't say anything else. He curls up on the bed and is out like a light in seconds.

* * *

"...thing new?"

"No… haven't… yet… rried..."

The sound of voices makes him stir awake again. He felt a little less heavy, if not incredibly groggy instead and his eyes felt like lead when he tried to open them. He forced them open into a squint either way, a white ceiling greeting him. He groans, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and footsteps following.

"Yuto? Are you awake?"

Looking over, he sees Ruri standing and leaning over his bed, hand clasped to her chest and eyes filled with worry. Shun soon appears over her shoulder with the same look, the constant frown on his face looking more soft than usual. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," he says, sitting up carefully, the other two moving back slightly. The blanket he hadn't noticed fell down to his lap. "Sorry for worrying you both."

They don't say anything, but mirrored looks of relief pass over their faces as they both let out a sigh. A twinge of amusement runs through him at the sight.

"You slept for so long, we were beginning to get really worried," Ruri says as she sits down on the chair beside the bed. He realises she must have been sitting on it before he woke up. Now that he looked around, he saw they were in the makeshift infirmary of the Resistance base. He could spot his cloak hanging over the chair's back, his goggles and scarf sitting on the small table next to the bed.

"What do you remember?" Shun takes a seat at the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his chest. "Before you fell unconscious."

Flashes of their search, finally finding opponents to fight, the duel, but then…

The memories of pain, his body burning, an unimaginable rage taking hold of him come forth, but after that, nothing. Just Yuri talking him down and telling him to go to sleep, then waking up for a short moment to talk to the others.

Shun and Ruri are looking at him, waiting for him to answer with worried looks in their eyes.

"I remember the duel, but after a certain point, there's nothing." He frowns, rubbing his head. "I think I, went out of control?"

Shun scoffed, but there was a tenseness to it. "That'd be an understatement. You near squashed them, the one taking your account was unconscious when he hit the ground. The other two was scared shitless for the rest of it, couldn't even duel properly."

"Didn't last very long either," Ruri says, twining his fingers together in her lap. She smiles nervously. "We didn't exactly hold back after you collapsed."

Shun huffs out a laugh, but turns serious again when he looks back at him. "What I want to know, what happened?"

Yuto hesitates, wondering how much he should tell. He didn't want to keep any secrets from either of them, but he didn't want to spill all the troubles they had, especially since they didn't have any concrete answers right now.

"We're not sure, actually, only that we all felt it. _Something_ happened to Yugo, but he won't tell us what just yet, but it seems to be the cause of it. I only stopped because Yuri told me off." He smiles sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

Ruri laughs and Shun sighs, but a small smile is tugging at the corner of his mouth. The sight warms him.

"Well, as long as you're alright. But you really did give us a scare, so don't do it again!" Ruri says, trying to give him a stern look but only half-succeeding.

He smiles. "I'll try, sorry for worrying you."

"Honestly. Try to give us a warning next time you will be out for almost a whole day."

That makes him snap back to attention, turning quickly to look at Shun. "A day?"

"We dueled the Academia soldiers yesterday and you've barely moved since then. It's late in the evening right now."

Yuto stares wordlessly at his friend for a while, eyes wide. A whole day? Maybe even more? Had he really been asleep for that long?

"Well, the good news is, we got the disks Allen needed. He's been working hard to have it ready for us," Ruri says, an excited tone in her voice. "He finished them this morning after working into the night, so once you're well…"

She trails off, but he knows what she means and his heart does an excited flip in his chest, only for it to sink as the realisation sets in. His hands clench in the blanket pooling around his waist.

He's held them back from leaving. They could have been in Standard by now, if he hadn't been asleep. Ruri could have been safe, at least more than she was now. Yuya could have been in reach. They could even have left before him, but still stayed behind and waited until he woke up. "I'm so-"

"Don't you dare." He's abruptly interrupted by Shun, voice hard and eyes steely. "I know that look, you're blaming yourself that we're still here. Both me and Ruri decided we weren't leaving without you, so quit it."

He's stunned into silence, but Ruri cuts in before he's gotten his voice back. "There was no question about it, we wouldn't have left you behind. We said we're going together, didn't we?"

He has to blink rapidly to keep away the sudden stinging in his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips and he has to duck his head before they see the silly, stupid smile he's sure he's making.

"Yeah, we are," he says, a weird tremble blending with his voice.

Shun puts his hand on his shoulder and gives it a tight squeeze. Ruri pats his leg over the blanket, giggling, but there was nothing mean-spirited about it. There never was with her.

He takes a deep breath before letting it out in a whoosh, looking back up at them when he felt more stable. "Right, so, when are we leaving then?"

"After you rest a bit more. I doubt we'll get a lot of it after we leave," Shun says, with Ruri nodding. "Since you're awake now, how about at night?"

"I'm good with that. We'll both sleep a little as well, and we'll all be ready to go!" Ruri clenches her fists in a 'guts' pose that looked both out of place and perfectly normal on her.

Honestly, he really wanted to leave right now, but he could see their point. The safest route was for him to be in the best condition he could be, even if it was frustrating to wait. He still nodded, smiling. "Ok, let's do that."

"I'll go tell Sayaka and Allen," Ruri says, standing up. "I want to make sure to say a proper goodbye for now."

Shun stands up as well. "I'll go with you."

Ruri smiles and rolls her eyes, but Yuto could see her shoulders relax just a little. The fact she was being targeted for a kidnapping right in their home base wore on all of them.

Shun looks down at him again. "You'll be okay on your own?"

He smiles reassuringly. "Of course, you two go. We'll meet up later."

They smile back, nod and turns to leave, giving a last wave before they disappear behind the doorway.

Yuto flops down on the bed with a sigh. He was tired but still itching to go, they were _so close_ now. Just a little longer, he told himself. He may not even meet Yuya for a while when he gets there, but he would be closer, closer than any of them has ever been before.

The thought made his stomach fill with butterflies, and it was the feeling he fell asleep with.

* * *

The night air was a little cold, the usual quiet of the destroyed Heartland even more deafening at night. Their footsteps seemed to be echoing among the rubble, the other two stepping carefully behind him while he walked confidently in the darkness.

They stop inside an abandoned building, one of many, raided and searched from top to bottom for rations and anything remotely useful. But it was devoid of windows, any possible outsider would be having a hard time catching a glimpse of them. Especially with the light that would signal their departure.

Yuto stops in the middle of the room, turning to face the other two as they come closer and stop. He brings out his disk, bringing up the teleportation system Allen had added to his, Ruri's and Shun's disk, thanks to the three Academia disks they'd brought back.

"You two ready?"

Ruri nods, mouth set in a tight line, determination and anticipation swirling in her eyes.

Shun repeats the motion, frown hard and body tightly wound, but still impatient to get going.

They each take ahold of one of his arms. Allen had said since the system hadn't been properly tested, if they all used their own they could potentially be separated on arrival. The choice to only use one was obvious after that.

The program was up and ready to launch, the hands on his arms tightened and with a simple press of his finger, light was suddenly enveloping them…

And then they were gone, the wreckage of their home left behind.


	16. Arch

/Yuya\

~Yugo~

[Yuto]

{Yuri}

* * *

Yuto gasped, ears popping as the bright light faded away, leaving him blinking rapidly, trying to make his vision less blurry.

Then he felt it. The bright, spirited pull he recognised as Yuya felt stronger than ever. It wasn't as drastic as he thought it could be, but still more than he's experienced before now. It made his breathing quicken, something inside telling him to _go go go go-_

"Yuto?"

He sucked in a shaky breath, the weird haze he hadn't noticed he'd entered popping like a bubble around him as the world turned clear again. He wavered in place when hands grabbed ahold of his upper arm and shoulder, keeping him steady.

It was still dark and for one gut-wrenching second he thought they had failed, but with how close Yuya felt now that thought was quickly dashed. Yuto takes a couple of deep breaths, the smell of metal and something salty sitting in the air. It was lighter than the building they had been standing in when they left, long windows sitting high on the tall walls. Big containers lined the walls, but it was empty and devoid of life otherwise, except for them.

Ruri was looking at him with concern in her eyes where she had stepped in front of him. Her hand was still holding onto his arm, hold a little less firm than before but still there. He noticed Shun's hand, now on his shoulder, grip tight but not uncomfortable, grounding him back to reality. His voice was a little rough, worry bubbling under the surface, echoing in the wide space they were standing in. "You okay?"

He nods shakily, adjusting his stance on the ground and focusing on the chilled air entering his lungs. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, sorry. I was just taken off guard."

"Off guard?" Shun asks, confused, as he and Ruri take a step back to give him some space when it doesn't look like he's gonna fall over anymore.

He hums a yes, eyes drawn to one of the windows far up the walls, dirty and hard to see through but he could make still out the night sky. "He's so close. Yuya."

They both make little 'oh' sounds at the same time and it makes his lips turn up at the corner in a half-smile.

"Well!" Ruri says, voice a little louder than normal, softly clapping her hands together once to break the silence. "It's a good thing you two can meet soon then, right?"

He returns her smile, excitement bubbling up in his stomach like a cauldron. So close, he was _so close._ Even if it would take some time, even if he would need to wait a little longer, Yuya was within walking distance, not a whole dimension away now.

"Yeah."

Movement to next to him makes him look over to see Shun start walking to the doors ahead. "Well, we won't get anywhere by standing still." He looks back at them, a small smile on his face.

Yuto nods, walking to the doors as well, Ruri falling in step with them. When he put his hand on it though, an anxious feeling rose up. What if they had landed wrong? What if they hadn't left at all? What if something went wrong?

Going by the way Shun and Ruri tense on either side of him, he could tell they felt something similar.

He closed his eyes, reaching for his link with Yuya again.

He would trust in that.

Face set with determination, he reached over, grabbed the handle tightly and pulled open the door in one swoop, creaking all the way.

The sight that met them was enough to take their breath away.

Stars, thousands and thousands of them, twinkling innocently above, the moon shining alongside them high up in the dark night sky. The ocean laid in front of them, waves rolling gently on the surface, breaking up the moon's reflection in the water. When he took a hesitant step outside, he found the air not as cold as inside the warehouse, a pleasant breeze pulling at his cape over his shoulders and brushing over his bare arms.

He'd almost forgotten what fresh air tasted like, without dust and smoke constantly clogging up the air, hiding the sky from view.

"We made it," he breathed out, relief evident in his voice. Right now he didn't care they could still be in enemy territory or in possible danger. He wouldn't let that destroy this moment of peace that he hadn't realised just how badly he had needed.

"Yeah," Shun says next to him, voice just as breathless, head tilted up to the sky. Golden eyes closed as he took a deep breath, shoulders relaxing.

A hitched breath makes both of them snap their eyes over to Ruri. She had her hand over her mouth, eyes wet as she stared at the sea and sky with a look of overwhelming joy and melancholy.

"Ruri?" he asked, slight panic entering his voice. Shun was quickly at her side, touching her shoulder carefully in concern. She shakes her head, free hand reaching up to squeeze her brothers, other hand lowering to reveal a shaky smile.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry, I just, got so overwhelmed," she says, wiping at her eyes quickly, but not letting go of Shun's hand. He didn't draw back either. "I had almost forgotten, what a clear night sky looked like, what the stars and moon looked like. I thought I'd never get to see it again."

Yuto grimace, knowing that feeling all too well, wondering if he would ever see his beloved night sky again, free of heavy, grey clouds. "...I know."

Ruri meets his eyes, a look of understanding passing between them. She huffs, doing a little hop in place. "Sorry! I didn't mean to get teary-eyed, that was a little embarrassing."

"Don't be silly," Shun says, stepping back from her and crossing his arms. "We won't think worse of you just because of some tears."

Yuto nods, smiling. It draws a genuine smile out of her at least.

"Right, so," Shun speaks up again, glancing around before looking at both of them. "What now?"

Right, plans, they had plans to make, now that they were here. Back in Heartland, they had the advantage of it being their home turf, even destroyed and broken. But in Standard, they knew little, what information he could get from Yuya would only get them so far, if they wanted to find out if this place had any connection to Academia, and if they did, what kind it was.

How should they move from here on? What steps should they take?

How long until he could meet Yuya?

"I think some info gathering would be best to start with," Ruri says after thinking for a while. "Just to take in the area and what could be around us."

Shun nods, brow furrowed in thought. "Taking advantage of the darkness is our best bet. Let's do some surveillance before we make any big moves."

Yuto nods, a small smile spreading over his mouth, feeling at ease despite their serious conversation.

He felt like he could take on anything right now. It was a high that probably wouldn't last, but he'd tuck it away to remember for harder times.

* * *

 _/Yuto?\_

 _[I'm here now, Yuya.]_

 _/Oh, oh that's, that's good, that's really good. Did the trip go well?\_

 _[Yeah, I was surprised when we came here though. You feel so close now.]_

 _/It's the same for me… When can we meet?\_

 _[I think it'll be some time still, we're gonna gather some information first. It looks like there's a lot of cameras around, so meeting up without being seen could turn out to be hard.]_

 _/But it'll happen, right?\_

 _[Of course, we'll do our best together, so hopefully, it will be soon.]_

 _/Are Ruri and Shun okay? And you?\_

 _[We're fine, don't worry. It's, really nice to be under the sky again, the air is so nice here.]_

 _/Hehe, that's good! If things turn bad, make sure to come to my house. Mom will definitely welcome all three of you!\_

 _[I'll remember that. It's about time to go, you should go back to sleep.]_

 _/Ugh, fine, but you sleep soon too.\_

 _[Goodnight, Yuya.]_

 _/Goodnight, Yuto.\_

* * *

"Hey, Rin? Can I ask a kinda weird question?" Yuya asks, leaning back on his hands on the slope they were sitting on, the grass soft under him and against his fingers. The sound of the river down the hill filled the relative quiet, broken up by the occasional kids shouting in the distance.

"Shoot," she says in response, elbows leaning on her knees and face perched on her hands, eyes not looking away from the running water. Despite Shuzo insisting it was fine for her to choose new clothes for herself and Yuzu saying it was fine for them to share her clothes, Rin still walked around in most of the clothes she arrived in. The powder pink shirt under her half-zipped jacket being the only new addition.

He grabs ahold of the grass and pulls it loose from the ground, repeating the motion as he talks. "What does, Yugo look like?"

That makes her turn to him, something akin to bafflement crossing her face. "You're asking me that despite knowing him for what, two years?"

"I've _known_ him, sure, but I've never met him, or any of them. So I don't actually know what they look like…" he trails off, embarrassment tickling him inside. The fact that he really, really wanted to know was kind of a secret he hadn't meant to keep in the first place. He'd hesitated asking Rin to begin with, almost tempted to wait and see for himself with only the little details he had himself.

But the curiosity was nearly enough to make him burst. The eagerness to get _something_ new.

"Oh," Rin looked surprised, as if the idea hadn't occurred to her before this. Maybe it hadn't, sometimes he himself forgot the others weren't just shapeless voices in his head.

"Well," she said, leaning back on a hand, almost mirroring his pose. "I haven't really gotten a chance to mention it, so I guess I should start with that…"

He blinks, confused but also feeling excited. "What?"

"You look identical," she bluntly says, looking him in the eye. "Like, twin-level identical, in the face at least."

He hears her words, but his head is buzzing with the new info.

Sure, he's tried imagining what the other three looked like before, but he barely thought of anything more than a general aura, and he could get a feel of that already. But identical? "We're that similar?"

"There are some very small differences, and the hair and eyes are different, but otherwise... I thought you were Yugo for a moment, when we first met."

She glances away, eyes darkening and he could, for a moment, imagine just how awful that had been, considering the last time she had seen him in person. Thinking for a moment he was, somehow, miraculously safe and sound only to find out it was a different person.

"...I'm sorry."

"Eh, don't apologise," she says nonchalantly, giving his shoulder a hard smack and making him yelp. "It's not your fault. By now it's not too hard to tell you two apart."

Somehow, he got the feeling that was a lie, if not stretching the truth a little. Even knowing her best friend was okay through him, seeing someone with his face walk around yet knowing it's not them must hurt at least a little. It wasn't the same as seeing them in person and see for your own eyes they were okay.

Yuya could relate to that.

"We'll see him soon," he says firmly, the effect somewhat ruined as he rubbed his aching shoulder. Rin sure had a mean hook on her.

"Obviously," she says, voice confident, but he saw the way her hand clenched in the grass and how her brow furrowed slightly.

Well, this wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go. Back on track, not the time to be depressed and frustrated.

"Hey, going back to what you said earlier," he says, voice purposefully lighter than before. Rin looks at him, eyebrow raised. "How are we different? You said we look identical at least in the face, so how different are we? I know the others hair colours, but not much else."

"Well, your hairstyle is different," she says, hand making a swooping motion over her forehead and to the side, then upwards, the other moving up and down behind her head. He realised she was mimicking a hairstyle. "Yugo's is spikier. His eyes are also this really bright blue colour that he gets embarrassed over if you compliment them." Her mouth quirks up at the corner in amusement, seemingly recalling something from long ago. She looks over at him and stares intently, making him tense up. "And you don't have his cheeks."

"...Cheeks?" he asks, feeling very confused.

Rin smiles humorously, tapping her own cheek. "You don't have his round baby cheeks. You're not as pale as him either, but if there actually is such a person besides me, I would like to see that. But I think you're the same height, since neither of you is taller than me."

Yuya nods rapidly, soaking up the information like a sponge. He tried to imagine it in his head but didn't manage very well.

' _I can just see it for myself.'_

He shakes his head, trying to keep the overly goofy smile he felt tugging at his mouth off his face. It was just some tidbits on Yugo's appearance, it shouldn't make him feel _this_ giddy! At this rate, he's gonna pass out from excitement when he meets Yuto.

Rin's been quiet during his internal debate until she stands up and snaps him out of it.

"Thanks for telling me," he says, standing up as well.

"No problem, just ask whenever," she says, brushing herself off.

He won't. Yuya could tell she wasn't comfortable talking too much about Yugo and he didn't want to push it, no matter how curious he was about, well _everything_.

"Should we head back?" Rin asks, walking up the hill. They had been out for some time now, what was meant as a breather to get some fresh air turned into a chance to talk in private. The others would start wondering what they were doing soon.

"Sure. Wanna get some snacks as a cover for why we're late?"

Rin gets an almost pinched look to her face, frowning. "Is that okay, though?"

"Of course!" he says, walking up beside her and giving her shoulder a light slap. "It's a normal thing we do, the kids always get happy too!"

"Well, okay then," she says, still sounding unsure and he's reminded that she and Yugo had grown up in pretty terrible conditions, based on what he'd gathered from Yugo who always was so, casual about it.

His smile softens a tad even as guilt crawls unpleasantly inside him. "It's cool, really."

Rin still looks uncertain, but she nods after a while, relaxing a smidge and smiling. "If you say so. It's a thing I haven't gotten used to yet."

"You will," he says as they walk to the convenience store on the way back to You Show. "You both will one day, for sure!"

* * *

Getting back to You Show, carrying a plastic bag with drinks and ice cream in one hand, he didn't expect silence. During break time it was usually lively, was everyone in the training room? Or maybe the action fields?

"Yuzu? Everyone? We're back, and we brought snacks!" he calls to the empty halls. No response.

"Well, this is freaky," Rin says, walking up next to him, holding her own bag with treats he'd convinced her to try after he saw her eyeing them. They weren't the overly sweet type so she'd probably get them to herself.

If they can find the others, that is.

"Is this gonna turn into a horror movie?" he asks her, half-jokingly.

She gives a half-smirk, glancing at him. "You have the spine to punch a murderer wielding a chainsaw?"

He smiles cheekily. "I'm confident in my ability to run, at least."

They walk further down the halls, looking around for any sign of life. "What if it's a ghost? A bit hard to outrun those"

He places his hand on his chin in mock thought. "Maybe I can talk it down… Or distract it, I'm good at that."

Rin chuckles. "More than what Yugo would do, he's terrified of anything scary or horror related."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah, screams like a baby and clings to you like a koala at the slightest noise. It's funny until he starts crying for real."

Yuya felt weird over finding that cute, but he pushed that feeling away for later. The sight of the kids, Yuzu, and Sora up ahead gave him a perfect excuse. "Heeey, Yuzu! Sora! We're back!"

Yuzu's head snaps up at his voice, her pigtails flying around her face as she turns rapidly to them. "Yuya! Rin!"

"Sup," Rin says, looking quizzically at the group until she's startled by the kids running up to them. Yuya has to hold back a laugh at how shocked she looks, she still hasn't gotten used to the kids being attached to her.

"Where have you two been?!" Yuzu asks, walking closer, looking both annoyed and worried.

"Uh, buying snacks?" he says weakly, lifting the bag and waving it. Only Sora's eyes lit up.

"Oooohh! Snacks! Did you buy sweets?"

"Yuya-oniichan! Rin-oneechan! It's terrible!" Ayu says, the worried look on her and Futoshi and Tatsuya's faces was enough to immediately turn his mood serious.

He looks at Yuzu, who has this distressed look on her face that made his stomach turn. "Yuzu, did something happen?"

She mulls, glancing over at the door they were standing in front of before looking at him again, eyes looking at him like she's worried he's going to shatter at her words. He frowns, now getting really worried, but nodded at her to continue.

She bites her lip, before nodding and speaking.

He still wasn't prepared for what came out of her mouth, however.

"Akaba Reiji, the president of LDS is here. He says he wants to talk to you."

* * *

Dun-dun-duun. Writing this chapter went surprisingly easy once i got going. I've had a real time planning out the next few parts, but i finally feel like i a better grasp on it.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you in the next one! c:


	17. Conversation

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri} __

I'm sorry if this chapter is a little lacking, but i felt you guys had waited long enough for this ;v; Hope it's still ok! _  
_

* * *

 _Yuya was still smiling goofily as the other kids walked away, their laughter and chatter growing fainter along with their backs. Soon, he was left standing on the street in silence, the evening sun warm on his bare arms and legs._

 _The smile shrinks but doesn't quite disappear as he turns to walk home._

' _This is fine. It's better like this.'_

 _Maybe if he repeated it enough times it'd sink in. He did feel a bit better with this than the alternative, but still not great._

 _But he'd be fine._

 _~Hey, Yuya?~_

 _He almost stops in his tracks at the voice, but remembers he's still in public and continue to walk. Sometimes, he's still caught off guard by them, despite having been there for quite some time now._

 _/What, Yugo?\_

 _~You okay? You didn't feel too good before.~_

 _[Did something happen? You had to leave so suddenly, we got worried.]_

 _{Well, you two did.}_

 _Yuya sighs, thinking back to the fun conversation they had been in the middle of, before some other kids interrupted him and asked, loudly, what he was smiling over._

' _You sure look happy, even with a coward for a father!'_

 _It always came back to that. Normal bullies, he knew that's all they were. Their words still stung, still made him angry. Their mocking laughter still cut into him and echoed in his ears after they were gone, along with their words._

 _/I'm fine, just some kids who thought I was weird for laughing at nothing.\_

 _[Bullies?]_

 _/...Pretty much.\_

 _He hadn't heard much, but he had a gut feeling that Yuto had dealt with bullies himself, maybe still did. He had a gentle aura to him, but he was quiet and at the beginning he had to be coaxed into talking about himself. Luckily, Yugo had no tact and swept them up in his tempo without trying and Yuri seemed to knew just what buttons to push to make others talk and cared little for others circumstances._

 _Yuya liked to think he was approachable, easy to talk to and not intimidating. But maybe that was just the part of himself that wanted to match up to the other three and not feel like he wasn't giving anything to their odd situation._

 _~Bullies? You okay Yuya? They didn't hurt you, did they?~_

 _He had to hold back a small smile at the heat in Yugo's voice, even when he couldn't hear it with his ears._

 _/I'm fine, they just said some mean things. If I just joke along they go away soon enough.\_

 _The ensuing silence left him momentarily confused, until what he'd actually said sank in and he realised he'd given away more than he had meant to. He knew Yuzu and Gongenzaka didn't like his tactic, why should the other three be any different?_

 _[Yuya, that's…]_

 _{A stupid way of thinking.}_

 _He flinches at Yuri's blunt words, but quickly tries to brush it off. His house and room felt so far away still._

 _/Nah, it's fine! If they laugh they leave me alone, so it's all good.\_

 _~People who make fun of you shouldn't be laughing!~_

 _/It's better if I make them laugh!\_

 _He has to stop and pull his goggles over his eyes, feeling too vulnerable being out in the open and talking about this, even if it was inside his own head. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, but now the others definitely wouldn't let it go._

 _/If I make them laugh… it's different. If I only act a little silly or make light of their words it's all fine, so don't worry.\_

 _It's fine. There was no reason for others to worry, he didn't want to see their faces turn sad and concerned because of him. He was fine._

 _The others were quiet for a while, until Yuri spoke up, voice miffed._

 _{Don't act more idiotic than you already are, how stupid.}_

 _Yuya blinks behind the glass of his goggles, now realising he'd reached his house, the gate to the yard in sight. Before he could answer, Yugo cut in._

 _~Yeah! If they want to laugh just ignore them! They're not worth your effort!~_

 _[Those who don't bother to see past the exterior aren't people who you should aim to please, Yuya.]_

 _/But-\_

 _{No buts. Don't fall in with what idiots want, they're not worth your time or effort.}_

 _Yuya is quiet as his eyes prick, biting down on his lip. They didn't understand, they couldn't, he needed to-_

 _[You don't have to stop right away.]_

 _Yuto's words, soft and comforting, cuts off his thoughts._

 _[I know it's, hard to break habits. Things you've convinced yourself is for the best. But, I was told that it's okay to take it in steps, just break away from it slowly. And Yuya, I don't want you to force a smile for people who doesn't want to see it.]_

 _~Making bullies smile makes no sense anyway, they only want to see you cry and stuff.~_

 _{Oh? Are you speaking from personal experience, fusion?}_

 _~N-no! And it's not fusion, it's Yugo!~_

 _Yuya has to take deep breath, struggling to keep it from stuttering, even as a smile is struggling to break out on his face, pulling at the corners of his mouth. He adjusts the goggles on his face, leaning his forehead on the gate, willing himself to calm down before he walks up to the house. Mom seeing him now will only make her worried, and he wants to see her smile when he eventually opens the front door and goes inside._

 _But for now, he stands in place, the air starting to turn just a little chilly, but he felt warm. Looking up, he saw the sun was starting to set, colouring the once blue sky in shades of orange and red and pink, soon to give away to the deep, deep darkness and twinkling of the night sky._

 _He wondered if the other three were standing under the same sky._

* * *

The silence was thick enough to cut through. Neither of the two present in the room making any notion to speak first, nor to move from their position on the two couches set in front of each other, a coffee table standing in between.

Yuya pondered whether to break the silence, to be the first one to speak. It had been a stare-off ever since he'd sat down and Shuzo had left, Akaba Reiji having requested for them to speak alone. Yuya had agreed, and with the last sound of the door clicking shut, not one word had been uttered. The person in front of him hadn't even made any move of starting a conversation.

Akaba Reiji looked younger in person, despite no doubt towering over Yuya if they were to stand up. The blank face staring him down was grating on his nerves just a little, eyes that gave nothing away starting to make nervousness claw at him. But he had to keep his cool.

He decided to bite the bullet and make the first move.

Yuya called upon all of his acting prowess, drew in a quiet breath, before letting a friendly and unsuspecting smile spread over his face, careful to not make it look overdone.

"To get a visit from the president of LDS, what a surprise!" he says abashed, hand rubbing the back of his head, forcing his body to stay loose.

Reiji says nothing at first, just inclines his head and adjusts his glasses. His voice is steady when he talks, giving nothing away. "With everything that has happened, I decided a personal visit was required."

His smile didn't slip, only letting a smidge of confusion show. Was inventing a new summoning method enough to call forth the president of LDS? Who apparently, as he'd found out after reading all that crap in their library, rarely made public appearances, or something. "Is Pendulum Summoning that serious?"

"Until now, LDS has been the only company to bring forth new special summoning methods," he says, voice a steady tone that gave nothing away. "But then suddenly, you appear, seemingly out of nowhere, creating a whole new summoning method."

Purple eyes were no less piercing even covered by glasses. "To say it was unprecedented is an understatement, in my personal opinion."

Yuya smiles, an embarrassed one that slides into place easily on his face. "I was surprised myself, to be honest! I really have no idea how it happened!"

Play it like he was clueless, that's what he'd decided on. Making a clown of himself was nothing new, but…

He's got enough pep talks and scolding to want to avoid doing it lately. Especially from Yuzu and Gongenzaka as well.

"So," he says, keeping his voice casual, but with just a smidge of seriousness now. "What did you want to talk about?"

Akaba Reiji says nothing for a moment, just gazing at him like he was looking for something. After a minute, he finally opens his mouth again to speak.

"LDS is at the forefront of dueling. Collaborating with the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning is in our best interest and, I believe, in yours as well."

His body tensing is barely visible, but he's still careful to not make it too obvious. His face formed a more neutral expression. Collaborate…

"Why do you think that?" he asks instead.

Purple eyes stare evenly at him, barely even a twitch in his expression as he inclines his head. "What are your plans regarding Pendulum, going forward?"

That catch him off guard, but he doesn't let it show more than necessary. "Plans?"

"Surely you must have realised yourself that Pendulum can still grow stronger. As you are the only one capable of using it, at this moment the only one who can make it stronger would be you, however," he pushes up his glasses once more. "How long will that last? Do you plan to be the sole user of Pendulum, and think it will always stay that way?"

Yuya stayed quiet, turning the words over in his head, eyes falling down to his lap along with his hands.

Pendulum was his edge, something that made his dueling stand out, that got him his victory against Strong Ishijima, even though he barely remembered it. The thought of others using it hadn't even crossed his mind, not until the duel against Sawatari and he was slapped in the face with the realisation that no, he wasn't the only one, others could use it. He'd been angry, frustrated, almost feeling crushed when the pillars of light appeared on his opponent's side of the field with no issue.

But why had he reacted so strongly? Because Pendulum had been his. Something he had created. But also…

It hadn't been _them_ who had been the first ones, besides him, to use it.

That's right, he'd wanted to share it with them first. Because Pendulum summoning was important to him, he wanted them to know it too. They had been there during his duel, with him the whole time, encouraging him and they had felt so close in that moment, before his memories cut off. So he wanted Pendulum to be something shared between only them.

But that small dream had been crushed, and in hindsight it was almost silly to think of.

"I…" his hands clench in his lap. "I had planned on sharing Pendulum from the start, with certain people. But..."

Others using Pendulum, others than just them…

There was barely a flicker in Reiji's eyes, but enough to tell him he was curious, at least. "Certain people?"

He could see Yuzu making a great show of it, her monsters singing in the lights, creating a new stage that only she could make. He'd like Gongenzaka to use it, the pillars fitting him and his steadfast dueling almost too well when he thought of it.

He nods, red eyes lifting to meet purple. "But that didn't happen. It's not just us, or me, who can use it. Who should be able to use it. Pendulum is something I wanted to share, but now…"

They could still share it. That feeling wouldn't disappear.

A genuine smile tugs at his lips. "I want more people to be able to use it, to learn how amasing Pendulum really is."

Reiji stays quiet, before closing his eyes in thought. "It looks like you're his son not just in name."

Yuya gives him a puzzled look. "Huh?"

"Sakaki Yusho once worked together with our LDS to help develop Real Solid Vision, without his assistance, dueling would not be what it is today." Fingers rise to adjust his glasses, and either his eyes were playing with him, or the purple eyes behind them looked a tad softer than before. "Perhaps I should not be surprised that you seem to want to follow his example."

"Dad did…?" He'd had no idea. He'd been so young when Solid Vision was first introduced, it felt like it had always been there. Even so, he could still remember the first time he rode on Discover Hippo. The very first time he got to touch Odd Eyes.

"However," the young president's voice made him snap out of his thoughts again. Eyes stare into him again, sharp but not overly hostile. "Do you truly think Pendulum is fine as it is?"

Yuya doesn't answer, his hands clenching slightly around the material of his pants. Reiji continues without waiting for an answer.

"Pendulum Summoning can still grow stronger, in my eyes that is clear. The question is, if you yourself can see the way to go forward. It will continue to evolve, with or without its founder."

He has to forcibly will his body to not tense up too much, even as something unpleasant bubbles under the surface. Keep calm, do not lose your temper, he repeats to himself.

"LDS will produce Pendulum cards for general use." That makes him flinch, but he manages to catch himself in the middle. "Once we have figured out how it functions, production will begin. But for that to happen, we require more data on Pendulum Summoning."

"So, you want me to help with that," he says, voice even despite the storm raging inside him. He can deal with it later, now was not the time.

Reiji only tilts his head down in place of a yes. "I believe it is the most efficient way."

' _Do you want to capitalize on it, or hurry so others can use it for more than fun dueling?'_

"...Can you let me think about it?" he finally says, crossing his arms over his chest. He grins, a playful tilt to it. "I'd rather not sign off on something I haven't given proper thought to, if you don't mind."

Reiji nods once. "A wise decision." He moves to get up, Yuya following suit. "Come to LDS once you've made your decision, but keep in mind we won't wait for long."

"I'll keep it in mind." He says casually, smiling easily, even as the other is now towering over him as he figured he would.

Reiji takes a card out of his pocket, holding it out with two fingers. "Show this at the reception and you'll be lead to my office."

He takes it, looking at the signature and stamp on the thick card. There was even a phone number on it.

' _Well, that's one way to get a phone number, I guess?'_

"Thanks."

"Well then, if there's nothing else, I shall be taking my leave."

"I'll show you out, then." Yuya smiles, walking up to and opening the door, finding the others still waiting outside. He spotted Gongenzaka, straightening up in attention at the sight of him, Yuzu leaving her spot against the wall and taking a step forward, stopping when she saw the figure behind him. Rin was still leaning against the wall, but looking more tense than usual.

"Talk went well?" Shuzo asks, expression serious as he looks at them both.

"No worries. I'll tell you about it later." He smiles reassuringly, stepping aside to let Reiji walk out. "I'll be back soon, just gonna walk our guest to the exit."

The walk there was quiet and a little tense, the only sound coming from their shoes hitting the floor. Sometimes he thought he could feel Reiji looking at him, but he did his best to ignore it, keeping a relaxed smile on his face all the way to the entrance.

"I'll try to come to a decision quickly," he says jokingly as they finally stood in front of the doors.

Akaba Reiji says nothing, only adjusts his glasses. "I'll be awaiting your answer. Until next time."

And with that, he opens the doors and walks out. Yuya watches him make his way over to a car waiting on the road, not taking his eyes off it.

First when it disappeared did he let out a big sigh, shoulders dropping what felt like five inches as he dropped into a crouch.

God this was terrible for his nerves, not to mention his heart.

Realising their next meeting would likely be just as, if not possibly even more tense, made him groan loudly in the empty entrance hall.


	18. Meeting Someone

Yuzu wasn't sure what she expected to find when she'd followed Sawatari's goons to the harbour to pummel some sense into the coward. If he thought he could pull some petty tricks again to enact some self-made revenge when he lost fair and square, despite not even playing fair to begin with, he had another thing coming. If she had anything to say about it, he and all of his goons would have to deal with her too.

But when she exited the alley and out to the harbour, there was already a duel going on. She recognised Sawatari…

The person with long, dark hair was a complete mystery, however.

"Suddenly barging in and demanding a duel, did you hear about my amazing skills and wished to test yourself?" Sawatari was as smug as ever and the giant, armoured monster behind him only barely justified it. "Sadly, I think you're just a bit outmatched in this scenario."

"Right right!"

"Sawatari-san is so cool!"

"Hurry up and beat this upstarter!"

Yuzu can't quite keep the irritated frown off her face at the crooning from his henchmen. His opponent shows no reaction.

"Is your turn over?" Their voice is feminine and slightly muffled as she talks, with a sharpness behind the soft voice. She raises her duel disk to a readying position, a design she's never seen before, not even Rin's looked like it and Yuzu had never seen one like hers either.

Sawatari frowns, but huffs and waves his hand dismissively. "Turn end. Now, how will you handle my Mobius?"

"My turn," the girl places her fingers over her deck. "Draw!"

Yuzu feels like she's almost moving on autopilot as she steps out from between the buildings, closer to the duel. She can't fully see her face, but she seemed to be wearing sunglasses and a scarf covering her lower face.

"When I control no monsters, I can special summon Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler from my hand!" She slaps down a card on her disk and a small harpie-like girl in green and blue appears, twittering peacefully as she flies up next to her duelist.

"If this card is special summoned, I can special summon one Lyrilusc monster from my hand or graveyard." She places another card on her disk. "I special summon Cobalt Sparrow from my hand!" Another bird girl appears, but this one in brown and cream colours, flies up next to her comrade, chattering happily.

"When Cobalt Sparrow is special summoned, I can add one Level 1 Winged-Beast type monster from the deck to my hand." A card pops out of her deck and she takes it. "I choose Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow, and when I control a Winged-Beast type monster, I can special summon her and another Level 1 monster of the same type. Come forth, Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow!"

The two harpie girls fly forth, one blue, twittering in unison.

"I normal summon another Sapphire Swallow from my hand!" One last blue harpie flies up and joins it's friends, all of them now singing and chirping in unison.

Yuzu was almost overwhelmed by all the special summons and how the girls once empty field was now filled with five monsters, hovering above her.

Sawatari laughs and claps almost mockingly. "Quite the show of special summoning, but how exactly do you plan to fight my Mobius with that weak flock? At most they have 100 attack, defeating my monster with that is impossible!"

"I never said I was done."

Yuzu almost felt a shiver at the calm tone in her voice.

"I overlay my Turquoise Warbler, two Cobalt Sparrow and two Sapphire Swallow!" Her hand shoot out up in the air as her monsters twitter and turn into streaks of light, swirling together into the galaxy at her feet.

"Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! XYZ Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia - Assembled Nightingale!"

Yuzu lets out a gasp as a tall creature with wings of yellow sunlight appear, letting out a beautiful cry as it descends next to the dark-haired girl.

"Assembled Nightingale gains 200 attack for each XYZ material attached to it. She has five, so her attack becomes 1,000." The creature's wings shimmer as it's attack goes up. The girl points at Sawatari, voice hard. "Assembled Nightingale can attack the player directly and attack the same amount of times as her materials!"

"W-wait that means-" Sawatari suddenly looks very panicky.

"5,000 points of direct damage!"

Her monster cries out with her words, swooping wings flapping up a large, glowing storm that blows around Mobius and hits Sawatari directly, sending him flying. The strong winds blow all over, making her let out a cry as they push against her and her arms fly up to protect her face from the dust and rocks.

When she looks up again, the monsters are disappearing into showers of light and the girl's shoulders loosen up just a little. The glasses are hanging from her hand, a large crack in one lens.

"I don't have anything to ask of you people. Scram."

They don't seem to need another reminder, his goons quickly picking up a dazed Sawatari and running off.

Yuzu adjusts her stance, shoes scraping against the ground and making the girl's whirl around in her direction. She's momentarily struck by her eyes, a dark pink striking enough to pull her in. They widen to the size of dinner plates as she seems to stagger in place.

"You…" The girl starts, voice much softer than it was during the duel moments ago, but hesitates, hands moving up to her red scarf, pulling it down from her face and, _oh…_

This was an eerily familiar scenario.

Rin's face stared back at her, which was also her face, like looking into two mirrors and the you that stared back looked a little different depending on the angles, but it was still you. Her hands were shaking as they stared at each other in silence. Much like how when she met Rin, the differences were slowly registering in her mind. Long hair, much longer than Yuzu could imagine having, nevermind on Rin, dark purple in colour and pulled back into a bun. The ragged clothes covered in tears and looking well-worn, so different from her uniform or Rin's sleek suit.

"Are you," the girl tries again, only to halt when a voice calls out Yuzu's name. Yuya's voice, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps.

Yuzu looks away to where she heard Yuya for only a second, but the girl takes that second to turn and bolt before she can so much as get a proper word out. Her lips form it, wanting to yell out to her _wait, who are you, what's going on, tell me!_

But the girl has already turned down an alley, hair flying behind her before she can get it out. It dies in her throat, extended hand lowering.

"Yuzu!" She looks up as Yuya runs up behind her, looking winded and worried. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah." She tries to smile to reassure him, but it feels plastic on her face and she can tell Yuya doesn't buy it.

She feels strange, like these events are happening to someone else that isn't her.

With so many girls around wearing her face, maybe it was.

* * *

"Standard duelists really aren't tough at all."

Yuto looked away from the cityscape and over to Shun and Ruri as they walked across the rooftop over to where he stood near the edge. It was almost completely dark outside, the day gradually turning into night.

"If they're that weak in comparison, you don't need to go all out," Ruri sighs, pulling down her scarf, her glasses having broken somehow earlier that day. She hadn't elaborated beyond that and he got the feeling something had happened.

Shun only huffs, taking off his and pulling down the scarf over his mouth.

Yuto takes off his gear. They'd decided against removing them completely, despite the dust and rubble that they protected their eyes and mouth from no longer being present in this dimension. Keeping his and Ruri's likeness to two certain residents a secret was deemed more important, so Shun went along with it as well. "It went alright then?"

Ruri smiles and nods. "On the way here we got into a tag duel with some kids wearing those badges. Not very tough, compared to the duels were used to..."

Shun crosses his arms over his chest, frowning out at the city. "Hopefully something will come out of it."

Yuto looks over at the giant building in the distance. The LDS Dueling School was enormous, even from here, seemingly holding so many answers to their questions.

Their decision to seek out LDS students wasn't only to collect information but to also catch the attention of their President and lure him out. Depending on what way he decides to handle them, they could hopefully tell if he was an ally or not. And if he was worth placing their trust in.

"It will sooner or later, they can't ignore it forever," Ruri says, looking down at the street beneath them and the people walking by. "I just wonder how long we have to do this…"

Yuto frowns, the thought having crossed his mind as well. "If it takes too long, we'll just have to go and ask directly."

Because they didn't have forever, there wasn't time to wait that long. If the people at LDS weren't foolish enough to bide their time for ages when they were aware of the looming danger, hanging over their necks like a guillotine.

"But before that,"

Yuto looks up at Shun, who was staring pointedly at him with his arms resolutely crossed over his chest. Ruri, standing between them, was hiding an amused smile behind her hand. "...What?"

"We talked a little on the way back," Ruri says, smiling, "and we both thought you should go meet Yuya before this escalates too much."

"Wha-" He stumbles, heart skipping a beat at her words as he got excited despite the rational part of him protesting against the idea. It was too soon, still too dangerous to meet up, but the other part of him desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind and _go_. "But-"

"No but's," Shun firmly says, but there's an actual smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and it was so nice to see it made the words get stuck in his throat. "You're jittery enough as it is, I don't want to imagine how bad it'll be if you wait much longer. And it'll be harder to go undetected soon."

He looks wide-eyed at them, gaze going back and forth between his two friends, not fully believing what they were saying.

"It's okay, Yuto," Ruri says softly, a warm smile on her face. "We know you've been holding back. We'll be fine, and we'll contact you if anything happens."

Yuto has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep a wide, goofy smile to spread over his face. He was probably smiling like a loon anyway.

"Thank you."

* * *

Yuya's steps echoed down the dark, empty streets, illuminated by the streetlamps. He turned into a dark alley with barely any hesitation, urging his legs to go faster, faster, until he reaches his destination.

His lungs are starting to burn and he's pretty sure he's never run this fast before but he doesn't really care right now.

Yuto. He's going to meet Yuto, as soon as he reaches their meeting spot. He'll get to see him and talk to him and touch him and he already feels like he's running on air from the thought.

Their meeting spot comes into view, an old Duel School damaged by a heavy downpour, started to rot and was now scheduled for demolition. It had no cameras pointing inside the area, only on the main streets leading up to the building that he had avoided, by Yuto's instructions.

He vaulted the fence and landed on the grassy ground in the outside area. It was lit enough from the streetlamps for him to see his surroundings well enough, old training equipment and other stuff that looked broken or rusty.

The grass crunched under him as he walked further into the grounds, looking around for any human shapes.

 _/Yuto? I'm here now.\_

No answer.

Then, he heard a creak, then steps over the grass as a shadow stepped into the light of the streetlamps and his heart shoot up into his throat.

That was definitely his face, but different somehow. Eyes a soft grey instead of crimson, spiky hair going up instead of falling around his head, in violet and dark purple instead of red and green. His clothes were so dark, a long cape fluttering behind him as he came to a stop a few feet away.

They stared silently at each other, a tension fueled by nervousness and disbelief sparking between them.

 _[Yuya?]_

He jumps at the voice and the other seems to almost do the same, their eyes widening in tandem.

 _/Yuto?\_

The person in front of him twitches, hard to see but he caught it. He has to swallow a few times to get his throat working and then take a moment to form a name he's never directed to anyone out loud.

"Yuto?"

Grey eyes widen and a sparkle seems to enter them, reflecting off the light from the lamps, and he nods quickly.

"...Yuya?"

His voice is deep and somehow both different to the one he's heard in his head yet exactly the same, familiar and new at the same time. He feels a wide smile start to form on his lips and he thinks his eyes are starting to sting.

"Yuto!" he says, louder this time and stagger forward into a run, suddenly filled with the overwhelming feeling to be _close_.

"Yuya!" He moves forward to meet him, arms moving from his side as if to catch him, smiling wide and eyes shining.

Yuya finally gets to him, throwing his arms his neck in a hug, arms closing around him in return after only a second of hesitation.

It was Yuto. It was really, really Yuto and he was hugging him, _touching_ him, he was right here after being a voice in his head for years.

His arms tighten around Yuto's neck, body tingling all over from sheer joy and the wide grin on his face feels like it will never go away. The arms around him tighten in return, fingers clenching around his jacket like he'll disappear if he doesn't hold on tight enough. The warmth from their embrace feels like it's seeping into his skin and down to his soul, curling up to stay there for good, as a permanent part of him now.

Yuya reluctantly pulls back, only enough to look Yuto( _YutoYutoit'sreallyYuto)_ in the eye, drinking in everything he can take in, what he can feel, hear and even smell. His eyes are such a soft shade of grey, like fluffy rain clouds, looking back at him with an intense look he's sure is reflected in his own red eyes.

He pauses and brings forth a hand, Yuto doing the same and Yuya grabs hold of it and laces their fingers together without really thinking about it. His skin is a little darker than his, their hands are the same size but they're covered in different calluses, different scars from living different lives.

"Is this real? Is this actually happening?" Yuya says, looking back into grey eyes. He's had so many dreams where he's met the others, his mind never coming up with more than vague shapes and a presence, but it still left him feeling unbearably sad when he woke up and realised it wasn't real.

Yuto smile turns humorous, the look in his eyes turning almost understanding. "I wonder the same. But I won't let it be just a dream anymore."

Yuya doesn't know when their foreheads touched, but they're leaning close enough to share their breathing. He smiles wide enough to make his cheeks hurt, squeezing the hand in his. "It's real. It's real, it's happening."

"It will keep happening," Yuto says resolutely, gripping his hand back.

Flashes of their two missing pieces swoop by his mind. Their bright blue sky and their rose-coloured sunset.

"We'll get them too," Yuya says, eyes falling shut. "Definitely, no matter what."

Yuto smiles, eyes shutting as well. Yuya felt his chest heat up, but it was pleasant, warming him down to the very edges and he could have sworn Odd Eyes was rumbling happily. There was another rumble, unfamiliar but almost nostalgic in its tone and pitch.

He knew they couldn't stay together, that he had to leave at some point. But for now, Yuya would soak in Yuto's presence fully, until their hearts beat to the same rhythm and his very soul remembered everything about one of the people he felt he was born to meet, ever since they first spoke inside his head.

They'd get Yugo and Yuri, and then nothing would separate them again.


	19. Forward

Yuya had kind of rough hands. The palms and underside of his fingers in particular.

It's because of Action Duels, he had said when asked. Climbing and jumping around for a large part of his life left its mark, and not only on his hands. He'd mentioned scars from falling, even showed one on his arm that Yuto remembered him mentioning once before.

But this time was different, because now he could see it. How it was wide and thin, running from the top of his shoulder and down, hidden under his sleeve. He could even touch it lightly with his fingertips, even if it felt no different to the unmarred skin around it.

They had sat down on the porch of the abandoned building he and the Kurosaki's were staying at, leaning back against the wall. They were angled towards each other, hands clasped together as if to make sure the other was definitely there.

"Nice goggles."

Yuya grins, free hand reaching up to adjust them. "Thanks! I've worn them since I was a kid."

Yuya had a really bright smile that made his whole face light up. It made Yuto happy just by looking at it, but he wasn't sure if it was because it was that infectious or because it was _Yuya_.

His eyes were so red, he didn't know what to expect but that still threw him off a little, but somehow it fit so well. They were the same height and about the same build, with their faces being close to identical they could pass off as the same person. Still, they were different people, a fact so clear in Yuto's mind it felt silly to think otherwise.

Yuto's eyes strayed to the pendulum hanging from his neck. The crystal almost seemed to glow in the darkness and it gave him something of a comforting feeling.

Yuya seemed to notice his gaze and removed it from his neck, holding it out and letting it sway in front of them, catching the light from the streetlamps.

"'The more you push, the more it'll come back'," he says softly, eyes trained on the necklace. "That's what dad always used to say. If you push forward with courage, happiness will eventually come swinging back to you."

Yuto smiles. "Those are nice words."

Yuya smiles as well and holds out the pendulum to him. He takes it carefully, gently running his fingers over the wings wrapped around the crystal, the little sphere at the top and the edges at the end. It felt vaguely familiar to look at, but he didn't know why and didn't bother to dwell on it.

"You know," Yuya says as he takes back the offered pendulum and lets it swing between them, moving from Yuto to Yuya, and back again. "I hope that, if I try to reach all of you, if I fight hard enough for us all to be together, smiling, that you'll come to me in return. Even if I have to chase after you, you'll eventually come swinging back to me."

Yuto felt, his heart grow full with warmth and affection, gripping Yuya's hand tight. "...I hope so too."

Yuya smiles in embarrassment as he removes his hand to put the pendulum back on before taking hold of his again. "Sorry, I got a little excited. I've never told anyone about that, but it feels like everything just wants to spew out."

"I get it." He really did, the want to spill his guts and talk and ask about everything, even if he already knew it. Because he would get to watch and hear Yuya as something other than a voice in his head, vague phantom feelings coming from him as the only indicator to what he was feeling. "What's your plan from now?"

Yuya lets out a sigh as his face turns gloomy. "...I think I'm gonna accept Akaba Reiji's offer."

Alarm rises in him as he frowns in concern. "Are you sure? We still-"

"I know we don't know if he's an enemy or not," Yuya cuts him off, frowning down at his knees. "It may be reckless, but… this is the best chance to find out. I want to believe he's not allied with Academia, but I won't find out just by slinking away." Red eyes look into grey. "And if I can get stronger, if pendulum can get stronger, then I want to give it a shot."

Yuto clenched his hands into fists, the urge to protest bubbling up in him. It was risky, dangerous, let's think of something else together.

But he swallowed the words back down. In the end, it was Yuya's decision, and he had clearly given it a lot of thought.

So he gave a hesitant but encouraging smile. "I don't like it but, if that's what you've decided on, I'll support you, Yuya."

He grins and grabs ahold of his hand again. "Thank you, Yuto."

His face turns serious again. "Just tell us immediately if something goes wrong."

 _/Worrywart.\_

 _[Someone needs to be.]_

Yuya laughs out loud at that, and he can't help but join in. Yuto's laughter was quieter and more subdued than Yuya's, but no less genuine and joyous.

* * *

Yuri stared down at his peonies. Soon, all of them would be in full bloom, bursting out fully in a disordered, yet beautiful mass of light pink, frilly petals. Watching his plants slowly start to bloom is something he always enjoyed

But he couldn't quite concentrate on them. He had nothing to fill his time with at the moment, no tasks or big project in his garden he could throw himself into. Only small things that he couldn't quite muster up the will to do.

His thoughts kept circling back to Yuya and the rather unpleasant news that the golden son himself had paid him a surprise visit. Yugo's continued silence didn't sit well with him either, but none of them felt very inclined to press him for answers lately when he was awake and around. At least he was still stupidly positive and happy, even as a prisoner.

Even while lost in thought, he didn't miss the telltale crunching of grass signalling an intruder in his little haven. He moves to turn around to see who dares disturb him…

...only to get a face full of fake flowers, confetti spraying everywhere.

"Hello, Yuri~ I have just returned!"

Dennis smiles from behind the bouquet he was holding out. He pulls it back to his side and with a wave of his hand and a snap of his fingers, it was gone. "Have you been well?"

Yuri blinks, actually caught off guard.

Dennis looks overly pleased with this, voice dramatically energetic as he speaks. "Oooh, did I actually manage to catch you by surprise? How rare! What a wonderful welcome-back present!"

He gestures wildly with his arms as usual, expression happy and triumphant and it almost makes him crack a smile. He lets it come out as more of a mocking smirk.

"Being so happy over such trivial matters, you don't seem to have changed at all during your stay in Heartland."

He saw the barest of a twitch in Dennis' eyes, unnoticeable to anyone else except to someone well versed of the masks he wore. It told Yuri loudly 'of course I have', but Dennis said nothing to deny it, only smiled and laughed pitiably.

"Cold as always, Yuri. And here I'd hoped our time apart would have warmed you up a little for our reunion."

He smirks, more amusement than mockery compared to normal, turning to walk over to the sole cherry blossom tree in his garden, inspecting the bud covered branches. "Wishful dreams."

"So, what brings you back? Didn't you have an important mission? Or did you fail?"

He knew why, but he wasn't supposed to know.

The sigh that comes next isn't as theatrical as he expected. "Calling it a 'failure' isn't quite right, but I guess that's what it will be counted as." He walks over to stand next to him, looking at the tree. "The girl just disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Yuri makes sure his voice has the right amount of casual curiosity and nonchalance. "Weren't you supposed to be watching her?"

"I was. Then one morning all three of them are gone, like they've disappeared into thin air. After none of them returned or were heard from all day and the next one, most assumed they'd been carded. But none of our soldiers that were out those days recognised them. Even after searching all possible spots they could be, there was no sign of them." Dennis threw out his arms dramatically. "So I was called back! I am now on standby for the time being!"

Of course they'd be that thorough. If they're not yet aware Yuto and his friends has jumped dimensions, he has no intention of bringing it up as a possibility.

Yuri smirked. "So, a break, in other words?"

"Exactly!" Dennis smiled and snapped his fingers. "Well, I don't know when I'll be sent out again, but for now I've got some downtime."

Yuri hummed, thinking. When Academia eventually realised the girl they were looking for was no longer in Heartland, they would start looking elsewhere. With the surveillance in Synchro, that would quickly be ruled out. Then, Standard would be the only one left.

With three of the girls now there, it would only be a matter of time before they were all found out. Yuya's friend still hadn't been discovered, but that would only last for as long as the little incompetent spy would either go back or be forced back.

When they were discovered, the forces sent to Standard to retrieve them would not be small. He glanced up at Dennis out of the corner of his eye. The chances of him being sent to Standard at some point, most likely as a spy, was very high.

Dennis stretched as he walked over to sit on a bench, letting out a sigh as he did. "Honestly, I've missed visiting your garden, Yuri. It's so quiet and peaceful..."

"I wasn't aware you could appreciate silence, seems a bit too uneventful for you," he says, amused.

Dennis laughs, leaning on the more genuine side than usual, leaning back and winking. "Sometimes it's nice, no?"

The realisation that he may have to fight him as an enemy someday abruptly hits him.

He's not sure what to do with the small lump that's suddenly formed in his throat because of it.

* * *

The LDS building somehow wasn't any less foreboding compared to the last time he was here. Maybe more so, Last time he was just here to snoop a little in their library.

Now, he was here to make a deal.

Yuya draws in a big breath, then lets it out in one big whoosh. "Alright, let's do it."

The doors slide open before him easily as he steps up to them. The lobby has students walking here and there or just standing around and chatting. He ignores them and walks up to the front desk, where a lady meets his eyes with a smile.

"Welcome, can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yeah," he rumbles through one of his many pockets and pulls out a card. "I'm here to meet Akaba Reiji. Is he here?"

A puzzled flash by in her eyes fast enough he almost misses it. It turns to surprise when she takes the outstretched card and sees the seal and signature on it, before turning to pick up the phone sitting on the table.

"What's your name?"

"Sakaki Yuya."

She types in a number and it's answered in seconds. He doesn't pay much attention to what she's saying, but it doesn't take long for her to put it down and turn back to him with a smile.

"The president will meet you in his office soon," she says, holding out the card again. He takes it and puts it safely back in his pocket. "Someone will be down soon to lead you there, so just wait here for a moment."

"Thank you very much." He smiles and gives a small nod before stepping off to the side to wait.

Luckily he didn't need to wait long, as the elevator pinged and a burly man wearing a suit and sunglasses walked out and towards him.

"Sakaki Yuya?" He asks, tone blank and voice a little rough.

He stands a little straighter and smiles. "That's me."

"Please follow me, I will show you the way."

Yuya nods and follows him back into the elevator. The man stands in front of the buttons, hiding them from view as he inputs their destination.

"The president is currently in a meeting. In the meantime, please wait in his office."

"Got it." He sure was busy, though Yuya had turned up with no notice, so he couldn't really say anything. Yuya knew his age, had looked it up when researching, and he still had a hard time believing the president of LDS was only two years older than him.

The man said nothing else for the rest of the ride, nor during the walk through the halls when the elevator doors opened again with a ding. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a little watched, like he was being sized up. It wasn't a very nice feeling.

Empty, that was the first word that came to mind when the doors slid open to reveal Akaba's office. The second thing that caught his attention was the gigantic window that covered the entire opposite wall, showing Maiami in all its glory.

"Well then," he looks back to the other man, having stayed outside the room. "the president will be with you shortly, so please wait patiently."

"Yeah, thanks for taking me here." He smiles, seeing no reason to be rude. Everything had gone smoothly so far, yet he felt like he was waiting for something to blow up in his face.

The doors slide shut, leaving him alone in the empty, silent office. It certainly didn't look like a stereotypical office, however. Part of him wondered if it was a trap, and a hole was going to open up under him and drop him in a dungeon. Or maybe people would storm out from the shadows to steal his deck for research.

Yuya eyed the window.

 _/Yuto, how far away are you from LDS?\_

 _[About a block at most, I can see the building from here. Did something happen?]_

Yuya can't help but smile at the fact that Yuto was keeping close.

 _/Nah, just saying that if you see someone falling out of some windows from the top of the building, it's probably me and I'd appreciate a catch.\_

 _[I- ...what?]_

 _/Listen if I get ambushed I'm not gonna sit still, I'll just bomb rush the window and hope it'll break. There's even a chair I could throw if I have the time, it's perfect.\_

 _[Jumping from that enormous building is not what I'd consider perfect.]_ Yuto sounded so incredulous it almost made him laugh.

 _~Hey Yuya, if you are gonna jump out a window, remember to tuck in your head and protect your face from glass. Jump like you're gonna tackle it.~_

 _/Hm hm, I see.\_

 _[Don't encourage him!]_

 _{Aw, but Yuto, you could mimic your deck and catch Yuya like a proper knight. Actually, hold off on that, I want to see it.}_

 _/So we're setting a date? This is gonna happen, at some point?\_

 _[We are not.]_

 _/You don't wanna catch me, Yuto?\_

 _[If I could choose to not need to, then no. If I had to, I would.]_

 _/Aw, thanks.\_

 _~Don't let your real life meeting get to your heads there, guys.~_

 _{Don't worry Yugo, I'll catch you at some point so you won't feel lonely.}_

 _~...That sounds really ominous so please don't.~_

 _{Too bad.}_

 _/Not if I catch him first!\_

 _~You too, Yuya? Who said I needed catching anyway!?~_

 _{Just let yourself be held like a good boy when the time comes and it'll be fine.}_

 _~Do you have to put it in such a creepy way?~_

 _[Sigh... then I'll catch Yuri.]_

 _/Yuto~\_

 _[Shut up.]_

 _{I can assure you I do not require any sort of catching.}_

 _[You just keep telling yourself that.]_

 _~Hmph, I'll catch Yuto then!~_

 _[Just don't drop me if you do.]_

 _~No promises.~_

Yuya has to bite his lip to not burst into laughter in a place that very likely has surveillance cameras. The uneasy lump in his stomach had lightened considerably.

He stops and stands straighter at the sound of the doors sliding open behind him again, followed by footsteps. Two sets of them, in fact.

Akaba Reiji looked the same to when he last saw him at You Show, though he looked slightly less out of place here, in comparison to the bright walls and furniture of Yuya's duel school.

"Hello again," he says, keeping his outer calm intact at least. "Sorry to come on such short notice."

"I was the one to tell you to come when you were done thinking." Reiji walks over to his desk and sits down, interlocking his fingers on the surface. "Am I right to assume you have an answer to my offer?"

Yuya's hands clench slightly at his sides, but he forces them to relax. He sucks in a breath to gather his nerves before speaking.

"About developing new Pendulum cards, I'd like to be a part of it. Even if I want more people to use pendulums, I have no means to do it myself right now."

The other nods, face still blank. "Of course. With your assistance, they will be developed at a higher pace."

"But," he says, watching how Reiji's eyes narrow slightly behind his glasses. "I want to move beyond Pendulum by myself. If I can't find that answer by myself, there's no meaning to me being the supposed founder of Pendulum Summoning. I'm gonna forge the path I'll walk with my own power."

He doesn't finish the sentence out loud, but lets it echo inside his heart instead.

" _If I don't, I feel I won't have the right to walk beside them."_

Akaba Reiji doesn't say anything for a long moment and Yuya holds his breath waiting for him to respond.

Then, to his surprise, a small smile broke through the blank expression, somehow softening his features and making him almost look his age.

"Should I say 'as expected of Sakaki Yusho's son' or... as expected of the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning?"

Yuya doesn't know how to respond to that, feeling so thrown off suddenly. But to be called the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning, instead of Sakaki Yusho's son... it wasn't bad, almost thrilling in a way. He would never be ashamed of his dad, or being his son. But it brought a certain weight with it, and sometimes it was so heavy but he refused to acknowledge it. The other still had weight to it, but a different kind. One of his own making.

The smile disappeared as the blank mask returned in place. "I'll respect your decision as best I can. I'd rather avoid animosity between us, if possible."

Yuya couldn't help but feel like there was a double meaning behind his words. Even so, he smiles in gratitude.

"Same here."

* * *

Loneliness wasn't something Yugo had ever truly felt. Rin had always been there, a constant in his everyday life, if he ever wanted a hug he could just go to her. She'd roll her eyes and maybe call him a kid, but she'd hug him back in the same breath and let him stay there for as long as he wanted. The same went in reverse, even if Rin was bad at actually asking when she wanted something and he could usually tell when she wanted some comfort. She'd be quiet but cling to him tightly until she was satisfied and drew back and they'd continue as usual.

Later, he'd had near constant company to talk to when Yuya, Yuto and Yuri had started chattering in his head. It had been near impossible to be lonely.

Now, though, Yugo felt more lonely than he's ever been in his life, stuck in a room that was the nicest he's ever been in. The bed was soft, there was a television that worked with no problem, a bathroom in a room next to this one. Even so, it was nothing more than a slightly dressed-up prison cell. The small and barred windows high up the walls and steel door were more than enough proof of that

At least he got food. It wasn't much, about as much as what he could get before this, but it was nicer. Even so his stomach could still gurgle sometimes, wanting energy that couldn't be gained just from sleeping.

He missed Rin. He missed her so much it hurt.

He wanted to hug her again, to feel her arms wrap tightly around him like she always did when she noticed he was sad about something and all he wanted was some comfort.

He wanted to be able to hug the others.

But he wouldn't break because of this. That's what that bastard wanted, was waiting for. Treat him just nice enough for him to come off as appealing, so when enough time has passed and he realises no one will come to save him, that it's best to cooperate with him.

Too bad Yugo knew the others would come. Nothing could break that belief, no matter how hard they tried.

He'd hold on and resist.

"Starting simulations… bring in the opponent."

No matter how hard it got.

Their stupid machines were heavy and uncomfortable, digging into his arms and wrapped tight around his head. The cuffs around his wrists and ankles didn't help, chaining him to the floor of the big arena he was standing in. All of it gave him a bad feeling.

At least his deck had been returned to him, even if it was probably only for now. Clear Wing was growling, uneasy and hostile but their presence almost curled around him, and it made him feel just a little safer, just a little more at ease.

He brushed his fingers over his deck, stuck and locked into the duel disk on his arm. Whatever it was they were going to throw at him, he wouldn't cooperate so easily.

A man was brought in from the other side of the room, looking puzzled and then bewildered when he caught sight of him. Yugo probably was quite the sight, looking like he'd stepped out of some shitty sci-fi with all this shit strapped on him.

"Hm? A child? What on earth…" the man started, but was interrupted as guards shackled him to the floor as well, looking disgruntled but staying quiet. A voice sounded out over the intercom, coming from the room above and protected by wide planes of glass, overlooking the field.

"Beginning the duel. Preparing the shock system."

Well, that was foreboding as hell.

Yugo didn't get the chance to think further, as what felt like static ran directly into his brain, making him let out a pained shout.

The man on the other side of the field quickly turns alarmed. "Hey! Boy! What's wrong?!"

He can't answer as the pain increased. His hands clutch at his head as his awareness already starts to disappear.

"D-don't...!" he manages to get out between his grit teeth, folding into himself.

"What are you doing to a child?!" The other roared, sounding furious. He can barely make it out from the pain, his eyes starting to blur and he thought they might be getting a little wet.

"Nothing of your concern." Rogers arrogant voice comes over the intercom. "Your only role is to duel. Nothing else."

The other shouted something in return, but he couldn't make it out anymore as the pain increased to unbearable levels. A scream tear it's way out of his throat, almost mingling with his dragon as Clear Wing roars out in rage. The noises of cracks and destruction sound out as mere background noise. More shouting, familiar to the other time this had happened to him, from what little he could remember.

Then, the pain stopped abruptly.

Yugo lets out a loud gasp, breathing hard as his legs give out under him and he collapses on the floor. He thinks someone might be shouting, he could only barely make out words behind the haze he was hovering in.

"... too strong... next time... start lighter..."

Clear Wing rumble in attempts to comfort him, presence now feeling more clear to him than before as they felt like they were hovering over him protectively.

Tears run down from his eyes as they slide shut in exhaustion.

Maybe he could dream of the others, at least.


	20. Resolve for Strength

THE LDS MINI ARC IS HERE FINALLY

I had so much planning this out and deciding if I even wanted to include it. But I really like the LDS kids, so I really wanted them here, even if it's in a small way.

* * *

"So, why are you all doing this again?"

Yuzu looked over to Rin, now standing next to her and watching Yuya duel Shijima Hokuto from LDS. She had been absent during introductions but seems to have decided to show up now.

"To strengthen our school's bonds and get a feel for how strong the other is."

Rin frowns. "And dueling is the way to do that?"

"Well, when you duel someone you can tell what kind of person they are, from their style and way of playing."

Rin gained a murky look in her eyes, mouth forming a line as she watched Hokuto sic his monsters on Yuya as he tried to grab action cards.

"How stupid."

Yuzu startles at the whispered word, looking at Rin. Her eyes were still on the duel, but she didn't seem to be paying much attention to it, mind elsewhere.

"What do you mean?" Yuzu didn't fully believe the claim either, it sounded too fishy. But Rin seemed to be thinking of something else.

Rin frowns, crossing her arms. "Like you can get stronger bonds by dueling like this."

The field is ravaged by meteors as she speaks, Yuya yelping as he leaps to dodge and gets blown over by the shockwaves. Hokuto is laughing and gloating all the while as Rin's fingers dig into her arms.

But Yuya still gets up. And in almost the blink of an eye, the flow of the duel changed, going from cruel to fun and exciting. Yuya had a talent for doing that, it was something Yuzu admired, wishing to be able to do the same.

"Maybe you can't, but… you could turn it into something else, right?" Confused eyes looked at her. "I mean, even if a duel started with one intention and meaning, you could turn it into something else. A duel is always changing, after all."

Something flashed in Rin's amber eyes, a tint of longing in the usually composed look and Yuzu worried she had said something wrong before the other quickly looked back to the action field.

"...Guess so."

Yuzu smiles, it turning wider as Yuya deals the final attack and the screen appearing to announce his win.

"Right then," she says, clenching her fist in determination. "Next up is my turn, make sure to cheer for me!"

Rin huffs, but still smiles humorously. She gives her shoulder a smack. "Make sure not to lose too pathetically."

"Harsh," Yuzu smiles, rubbing her aching shoulder. "You don't have anything nicer to say?"

"My nice words are reserved for a select few people only," she says, turning away as Yuya comes back and the others crowd around him with congratulations. There's a hint of a soft smile on her face that makes Yuzu's stomach flutter just a little. "Just focus and you'll be fine."

"Right, focus."

Yuzu pushed back any thoughts of long dark hair and harpies glowing like sunlight, small lights circling around them. A face identical to hers and the girl standing next to her, both of them just suddenly appearing before her with no explanation.

She could think about it later. Right now, she had a duel to win.

* * *

Rin frowns as she watches Yuzu's duel begin. "Will she really be alright?"

"It'll be fine," Yuya says confidently. "Yuzu's strong after all."

"Yeah, she's beaten Yuya-oniichan plenty of times!" Ayu says, smiling cheekily.

"H-hey you don't need to say that…"

The kids laugh at Yuya's expression. Rin looks back to the action field, where Yuzu's opponent, she thinks she was called Masumi, has already performed a Fusion summon on her first turn. She can see how Yuzu staggers at the sight, how her posture isn't carefree and confident like usual.

Masumi is completely different. She holds herself easily but strongly, ready to strike back at any moment and retaliate. Rin could respect that, even in a duel like this the girl is serious.

She'd had a bad feeling the moment the dark-haired girl had first stepped forward. Standing opposite of her, Yuzu looked like she had trouble even keeping up.

But the thing that bothered Rin was that she knew she could do better. She was even close to thinking Yuzu wasn't bringing her best, wasn't concentrating and giving her all to the duel.

"Yuzu will be fine." The gruff voice behind makes Rin look back. Gongenzaka is standing behind her to the side, arms crossed over his chest. His face was hard, but it always looked like that, a look of absolute confidence in his eyes.

Yuzu had a lot of people who believed in her, she was lucky like that.

So when the final attack sent her flying, her scream echoing in the beautiful corridor as her life points trickle down to zero, Rin felt like she was the only who wasn't surprised.

Except the one standing against the wall, eating pocky. "I told you, didn't I?"

Rin's hands clench into fists, but she stays quiet, even as Yuya rushes out to where Yuzu is laying on the ground, the others following but staying in the hall.

Why was she irritated? This churning in her stomach was unfamiliar to her. Frustration maybe, she felt that often. But what for? Because Yuzu lost? Yuzu who had been nothing but friendly and welcoming, trying hard to make her feel at home in this unknown dimension. Was she angry for her? Like when she was angry when kids teased Yugo?

No, not quite.

She was angry because Yuzu hadn't dueled properly, hadn't shown her best. She was distracted, something had happened recently that she hadn't talked about, and it got in the way, making her not think clearly.

It was just a friendly duel, Rin tried to tell herself. Nothing would be lost, _should_ be lost.

If they had been in City, Yuzu could have been sent to prison, or underground, for that kind of dueling.

It shouldn't bother her this much, but she _knew_ Yuzu could do better. Knew what she could do, if she tried harder, reached a bit higher.

Yuzu's head is tilted down as she and Yuya come back, pink hair covering part of her face. When blue eyes look up and meet her own, she flinches, and looks away. Rin didn't know what kind of expression was on her face right now, only that it felt stony and cold.

"Hey!" a new voice calls out behind them, cutting the reassuring words off. A boy with scruffy brown hair and holding a shinai over his shoulder. "How long am I gonna need to wait? Who's gonna be my opponent?"

Sora hops up to his feet from where he had slid down to sit on the floor. "Hi me-!"

"I'll face you."

The words slide out smoothly as she cuts Sora off, stepping forward.

"Ah! Rin, no fair!" Sora whines behind her but she pays it no mind.

"Rin?" Yuya calls out, confused.

"It's fine, right?" She looks back, looking for confirmation while also not intending to take no for an answer. The others may have seen it in her eyes, for they all shrink back or jump at the likely cold look on her face.

"What, you a member of this school too? Didn't see you at the introduction."

"I was a bit late." She takes out her duel disk and places it on her arm. She pretends not to see the surprised glances from the LDS students, likely realising just how similar she looked to Yuzu.

She resolutely didn't meet the calculating look she could feel coming from Akaba Reiji, standing off to the side.

"So? Are we gonna duel, or not?"

A toothy grin is her answer. "If you're that impatient, this might actually turn out more interesting than I thought."

Rin says nothing, all the way until they're standing in the action field, turned into a wasteland with hundreds of swords stuck into the ground.

"I'm Toudou Yaiba!" he calls out across the field to where she's standing on a small cliff. "You better be strong, or this will be over quickly."

"I'm Rin," she says simply. "If I'm strong or not, we'll find out soon, won't we?"

"Heh, at least you seem like you'll put up more of a fight than your sis over there."

Rin's face doesn't change except for a twitch to her brow. She activates her duel disk in response.

If they thought they dueled the same just because their faces were identical, they were in for a surprise.

* * *

By the time one of their life points had ticked down to zero and the 'WIN' screen had appeared, the field was covered in ice and snow. The swords were frozen over, most barely visible anymore.

Rin stood straight where she had jumped down before Winter Bell disappeared. The now icy land felt more comfortable, the cold a refreshing feeling as she breathed it in, bringing her head to a calmer place.

Yaiba was laying on the ground, struggling to get back on his feet after the last blast from Winter Bell knocked him clean off his feet. Yuzu's words ring out in her thoughts.

" _Even if a duel started with one intention and meaning, you could turn it into something else."_

Her feet bring her over there. Light brown eyes darting up at the sound of her footsteps on the frozen ground.

She holds out a hand, making his eyes widen.

"Good dueling," she says with a small smile.

Yaiba stares at her hand for a moment, before he grins good-naturedly and grabs ahold of it in a solid grip, letting her help him pull him back on his feet.

"Right back at you." He brushes himself free from stray frost and snow before grinning at her. "Never met a stronger synchro user than me until now, so I gotta say I'm impressed."

She smiles, probably more like a smirk, but it wasn't haughty or mocking. "Big words from the one who lost."

"Hah! But I won't lose next time!"

He holds out a hand and, after some hesitation, she takes it.

A handshake after a duel wasn't anything she was used to.

But it was a nice feeling.

* * *

"Rin-neechan won!"

"That was amazing!"

"It gave me serious shivers~"

Yuya smiles at the kid's excitement. He could feel some himself, after seeing that. Despite starting so cold it turned into a really fun duel, Rin even looked like she had honestly enjoyed herself.

Though the remains of the action field left him feeling apprehensive.

 _/Yugo, Rin is kinda scary.\_

 _~Huh, what? Oh, did you watch her duel seriously?~_

 _/This is normal?\_

 _~Yeah Rin is scary strong when dueling strong people or against ones who makes her mad. We duel casually, for the most part.~_

 _/For the most part?\_

 _~We gotta settle our arguments in some way.~_

Yuya doesn't know whether he wants to sigh or snicker. He refrains from both, too many people around.

But with this, the first three duels were done. Which meant one thing.

Yuya sucks in a breath, lets it out, and then looks over to where Akaba Reiji is looking at him, waiting.

Time for the main event.

* * *

 _[...Did the duel go well?]_

 _/…...\_

 _{I will take that as a no. Did you lose that terribly?}_

 _[Yuri!]_

 _{It's an honest question. Even if you lost there's no reason to mope around because of it.}_

 _~You're just the poster image of encouragement, aren't you?~_

 _/I didn't lose. Might as well have, though.\_

 _[Yuya?]_

 _/Akaba Reiji had pendulum cards. After pulling off every special summoning method, he just pulls them out and uses them. But the system suffered an error and the duel got cut off.\_

 _~Well, shit.~_

 _{So? You technically didn't lose.}_

 _/I was about too. I was saved by an error, because the cards he had made weren't complete and ready to be used yet. If he hadn't tried to use them, I still would have lost.\_

 _[Yuya…]_

 _~So what?~_

 _/...Huh?\_

 _~So what if you lost? Nothing would have happened, sure it may have stung a bit too lose that hard, but you can still get back up with no problem. Nothing was lost, you just have to get up and beat him next time!~_

 _/…\_

 _~What? Don't go all quiet on me, it's weird.~_

 _{I'm still baffled you can manage to say some pretty good things.}_

 _~Oh shut it, jerkass!~_

 _{Amazing insults as always.}_

 _[Not the time you two, seriously.]_

 _~Ugh, sorry…~_

 _/Yugo?\_

 _~What?~_

 _/….Thank you. You're right, I just have to beat him next time! I felt like my own weakness got pushed right into my face. The way I am right now is no good, that duel helped me realise that.\_

 _{There's the usual Yuya.}_

 _[Good to hear you're back in high spirits.]_

 _~Yeah! Do your best, Yuya! We'll be with you along the way!~_

* * *

Yuzu was frustrated.

Not because of minimal things, or because her friends and dad were acting stupid.

No, she was frustrated with herself.

It wasn't an important duel, but even so, she got distracted, thinking of other things, and lost, badly.

She had tried to focus, thought she was doing well even. But then Kotsu Masumi's hair would flow and she'd think it was longer, wavier, a scarf over her mouth and blazing dark pink eyes in place of red ones. The Gem Knights would glitter like Rin's Wind Witches, or she'd catch a look of herself reflected in the crystals, with a slight shade difference.

But that was almost all it took for there to be another 'her'.

Even the image she'd seen in the pillar when she'd made a dive for the action card hadn't looked like her at first.

Her opponent Fusion summoning on her first turn hadn't hepled, only making her think of the way the longhaired girl at the harbour had Xyz summoned on turn one like it was nothing.

She couldn't look Rin in the eyes afterwards, looking at the girl with such a familiar face made her feel ashamed, and the fact she did made it worse.

Then, Rin had suddenly stepped in to duel.

Her confident figure had almost burned itself into her mind, as if rubbing salt into the wound. But it had also snapped some sense into her, like the chill from Rin's monsters had affected her as well, despite there being a thick wall between her and the field.

She was no good like this. She had to get stronger, like Yuya was trying to become.

Spotting the bright blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, she sped up. She knew she'd find Sora here.

She couldn't stay like this. She wanted to be strong, like Rin and that mysterious girl was. So she could defeat Kotsu Masumi and not lose to anyone else.

* * *

 _/Yuzu is what?\_

 _[Learning Fusion summoning from Sora, it seems.]_

 _/Haa, that's just like Yuzu, honestly. She never sits still for long. And here I was wondering why she ran off so suddenly...\_

 _{The circumstances could be better however.}_

 _[I agree. Her spending so much time with that Fusion user doesn't bode well.]_

 _/His name's Sora. But I get what you mean, Yuzu would never agree with what Academia is doing, but if Sora tries to take her away…\_

 _{I don't think you'll have to worry about that, Yuya.}_

 _/Yuri?\_

 _{I doubt the little spy even knows of the girl's importance. I know a total of two people who know about them, one of them being me. His mission seems to be to collect information only for now, but it will be a problem if he ever goes back, or even gets sent back to Academia. It won't be long until the place is crawling with the Obelisk Force after that.}_

 _/Ok, ok I think… that's reassuring?\_

 _[It means Academia won't come here unless he goes back. Yuri, you said there's no means of contact between the dimensions, right?]_

 _{Yes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep an eye on him though, just know it's not as dire as it could be.}_

 _[I can keep an eye on them. If Ruri is accidentally discovered it could be bad, and I don't know if Shun could keep himself from tearing into him if he saw him Fusion summon. Especially with someone identical to his little sister.]_

 _/Thank you, Yuto. That'd be a huge relief.\_

 _[No problem. Better safe than sorry.]_

 _~Anyway, Yuya, what are you gonna do now?~_

 _/Huh?\_

 _~You were muttering something about championships and unfairness earlier, you okay?~_

 _/Oh, yeah! Don't worry, just thinking about the Junior Championship. I've got a plan to be allowed to enter. I got some help, but I'll be able to enter on my own strength!\_

 _~Good luck! Kick everyone's asses!~_

 _{If you lose I won't forgive you.}_

 _[Good luck, Yuya.]  
_

 _/Thank you! I'm gonna do my best and definitely become stronger!\_


	21. Blasting ThroughPew Pew

Hey ya'll, I'm real sorry how late in the month this chapter ended up being. The last week has been a lot, my knees are sunburned and it's hurts to walk thanks to it, and other things that aren't really important, only that It's a reason why I haven't been writing much. But I refuse to miss a month! So here we are c:

Fun fact, this chapter has a part that was one of the very baby state ideas for this au. Back when nothing was decided and I was a long way away from even starting to write it.

* * *

 _/I'm starting to be very bitter about food.\_

 _~Dude, food's the best, what's gotten into you?~_

 _/Dueling a guy who uses a food deck that keeps feeding my monsters while I'm starving over here.\_

 _~What?~_

 _{Standard sure has some odd duelists.}_

 _/Oh, and my monsters keep getting removed from the field.\_

 _~Isn't that more important than them being fed instead of you? It sounds like you're losing!~_

 _/But I didn't get to eat breakfast!\_

 _[Yuya, why didn't you eat the day of your first duel to enter the tournament?]_

 _/I was in a hurry! And mom was trying some new recipe so I didn't have time. If I just think about how Sora puts chocolate sauce on his fish, the growling lets up a little though.\_

 _[...Chocolate? On fish?]_

 _/I know right?\_

 _~That sounds freaking disgusting. Why did you share that with me, if I don't have an appetite later I'm gonna blame you.~_

 _[I highly doubt that will stop you from eating.]_

 _{Yuya.}_

 _/...Yes, Yuri?\_

 _{Are you still losing?}_

 _/….Maybe.\_

 _{Stop messing around and_ _ **crush**_ _your opponent already.}_

 _/Yes sir, right away.\_

 _~Pfft.~_

 _/Yugo, don't laugh at me!\_

 _[Hehe.]_

 _/Yuto!\_

 _{No dilly-dallying, Yuya. Chop chop. You shouldn't play with your food.}_

 _~You don't eat your opponent or monsters.~_

 _{That depends on personal preferences.}_

 _~Dude.~_

 _[What is this conversation.]_

 _/I'm still hungry...\_

* * *

 _ **Just by looking at your sparkling appearance, I'm getting power**_

 _ **Your dazzling, fighting self**_

 _ **always brings smiles to everyone, never give up!**_

* * *

Watching a person identical to herself was an odd experience. It was almost a little exciting, spotting the many similarities and then the differences, few but just enough that she could tell it was a different person.

Ruri didn't see herself completely in the pink-haired girl she was watching. Their gestures, mannerisms, were different. Ruri didn't move with that much flair, didn't stumble around, didn't yell and scold with such fierceness.

Ruri didn't, would never, use Fusion summoning.

It was enough to make her stomach turn a little, watching the card in her doppelganger's hand, held like it was any other card, and not a symbol of the very people who destroyed her home and took so many.

It messed with her head, just a little. But then Yuzu would mess up the summoning, even forgetting to put her Fusion monster in the extra deck, and the apprehension popped like a bubble. Ruri couldn't help but laugh silently at her flustered state.

Their unintentional first meeting could have been better. Hearing there was a girl who looked like her was one thing, actually _seeing_ it was another matter. And in her shocked state, she had thought it was the _other_ girl who looked like her. Rin, if she remembered right.

Then, when a very different name had been called, Ruri had bolted. Luckily, no one had pursued her. She'd need to be more careful, even convincing Yuto and Shun that she could keep an eye on her twin had been a battle.

Because Ruri was intrigued by the girls who looked like her and yet appeared to be quite different. She couldn't wait until she could meet the other one that was here.

She tried not to think too hard about the girl from the Fusion Dimension she had yet to meet, but surely would someday.

* * *

 _ **Saying goodbye to tears, let's go! Sparkling sweat is the best!**_

 _ **Make your dreams come true!**_

* * *

 _~Oi, Yuya, you okay over there?~_

 _/Just peachy.\_

 _{Wow, I could almost feel the bite in that.}_

 _~I feel like I can touch the waves of frustration you're sending over.~_

 _/I hate math.\_

 _[Not that I don't agree with you there, but I fail to see the correlation.]_

 _/I'm doing a Quiz Duel and I've never wanted to punch something more in my life.\_

 _{Well, would you look at that, Yuya has some proper guts in him after all. What a happy day.}_

 _~Quiz Duel?~_

 _/It's not a happy day for me, that's for sure!\_

 _[Do you need any help?]_

 _/As great as that is, I feel like that'd be cheating.\_

 _[Even though your opponent is manipulating the game to his advantage so you'll always be wrong?]_

Yuya skids to a halt just as he was about to jump, windmilling with his arms so to not fall off the edge of the platform he was standing on. Even though he can't quite see the audience from behind the action field, red eyes still whirl around the stands, trying to catch a glimpse of lavender hair or a dark cloak.

 _/Yuto, are you here?\_

 _[Yeah. I missed your last duel, but I wanted to… you know, cheer you on from the shadows, or something. Only three kids here seem to actually be cheering you on.]_

 _/Y-yeah, they're from my duel school, Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya. Gongenzaka is busy training, Yuzu too.\_

 _[Hmm.]_

 _/It's fine! This is something I have to do by myself, and they've got their own stuff to think about, so it's okay. But… thanks. For being here, even if I can't see you.\_

 _[You're welcome.]_

Yuya distantly hears his brat of an opponent taunting him again, trying to rile him up. He grits his teeth in annoyance, ignores him, and turns to jump to another box.

 _{Nevermind the sappiness, if your opponent is messing with you in such a way, no reason for you not to mess with him back.}_

 _/I don't know…\_

 _~You gotta use what you can to win, Yuya!~_

 _[If nothing else, we can even the odds a bit.]_

" _ **Question: There's a full glass of water with an ice cube inside. Once the ice melts, will it overflow, or not overflow?"**_

 _/But do you guys even know any of these answers-\_

 _[It won't overflow.]_

"Huh? Won't overflow?"

" _ **Correct! You gain 100 life points!"**_

Yuya jumps as his duel disk peeps and his life goes up. He barely notices Kyuando's confused, whiny voice behind him.

Oh, right. Yuto's in here somewhere, so he heard the question. He can almost hear the amusement in his voice when he speaks again.

 _[I can't guarantee we'll know all the answers between us, but some should be fine. Go take another one and find out.]_

 _/...Fine. But if we get it wrong we won't do it!\_

 _~Don't forget to tell us who can't hear!~_

 _{We'll see if you can even get any correct answers, Fusion.}_

Yuya tunes out their bickering and concentrates on getting to another platform. He cringes when he hears 'Math'.

 _ **Question: You have two dice. You roll one and get a six. What is the probability to get a six on the other dice?**_

"Umm," Yuya busies himself counting on his fingers, mumbling to himself as Yuto relays the question to the other two.

 _~1/6!~_

Yuya stumbles to repeat the numbers. "Uh, 1/6?"

The screen flashes with a green circle as the voice announce the answer as correct. Yuya can hear the kids cheering in the stands.

 _[Well, that's one more down.]_

 _{...I stand corrected.}_

 _~Hehe~! How's that!~_

 _/How are you good at math?\_

 _~Dunno? There were a lot of numbers involved when we were building our D-Wheel though.~_

 _[I should have figured, honestly.]_

 _/Geh! Biology?!\_

 _['How many species belong to the parasitic flower genus Rafflesia?']_

 _{28.}_

"28!" Yuya quickly says as the short timer ticked down to its last seconds. The pleasant ding noise sounds out and his life points go up once again.

Well, this had taken a turn.

In that case, might as well take advantage of it.

Yuya turns to Kyuando and the audience with a flair, throwing his arms out wide, a grin that bordered on mischevious playing on his face. "Why, it feels like I've been blessed by the fountain of knowledge! Like this, I shall fight to my fullest!"

Cheers and excited murmurs finally came from the stands, but Yuya wanted to make them louder. The duel wasn't over yet, but his irritable mood had lightened considerably.

He hears Yuto snort. _[Nice words, just make sure to win now.]_

Yuya smiles a little wider. _/You bet!\_

* * *

 _ **(Hurray, hurray!) Whether it's what you won't give up or what you believe in, fly high!**_

 _ **You can fly higher than anyone else**_

* * *

"You want me to teach you how to Synchro Summon?"

Rin looked up in surprise at Gongenzaka, whose large shape cast a shadow over her. He was looking straight at her, conviction strong in his eyes. It was better than when he had suddenly kneeled down in front of her to ask a request of her. Only after she had urged him to stand up did she hear him out.

She cocked her head and rested her hands on her hips. "Why?"

"Yuya, and Yuzu too, are both trying to improve their dueling in the ways they can. I wish to better myself as well." He really did look intimidating with such a concentrated look on his face. Rin wasn't sure if he was fully aware he was doing it.

"So, you came to me…" Rin chews on her lip in thought. "Is this because of my duel with Yaiba? Honestly, I don't know how good of a teacher I would be, our duel styles aren't very similar."

"True, the way we fight may be different." Gongenzaka nods, folding his arms over his chest. "But I do not believe that will be an issue. Special summoning all start at the same baseline, where I take afterwards will be up to me."

Even though his voice was rough, Rin could see a light in his eyes. It was respect, directed at her and she didn't quite know how to process that. People didn't _respect_ a Commons brat. But this wasn't City, and she was given recognition for her dueling skills. Not for winning, but for her skills.

Plus, being misplaced in another world, as Rin soon realised, was awfully boring once the uneasiness calmed down and you got more comfortable. And Rin _needed_ stuff to do. She hated sitting still and doing nothing. She could wait patiently (somewhat) if she knew what she was waiting for and what she could get out of it.

Yuya and Yuzu were both busy, one preparing for his duels to enter the championship and the other training. She didn't want to bother them, even if she knew they would never say she was. They were nice like that.

What the hell, it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

With a small grin, she held out a hand. "Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do. I'll teach ya, as well as I can at least."

Gongenzaka visibly relaxed and brightened up, hand engulfing hers in a firm grip. "You have my thanks, Rin!"

* * *

 _ **(Hurray, hurray!) Even when you're feeling that you've lost**_

 _ **I'm always supporting you! Reach higher!**_

 _ **I want to bring this voice and energy to your precious self all the time**_

* * *

Yuzu thought she was doing better.

Sure, she was still messing up at times, or couldn't quite get the timing right when special summoning. But her head felt a little clearer, after she has forced herself to not think of the girl who used Xyz and shared her face. She would get stronger, and beat Kotsu Masumi in the Championship, and be strong enough to not lose to that girl, or Rin.

But somehow, the weird things seemed to be following her.

Yuzu is rooted to the spot as she stares at the two figures standing on the bridge leading to the harbour where she trained with Sora. She'd recognise that waterfall of dark anywhere by now, even if she had only met her once.

The Xyz user was facing down two adults, birds already out on the field. The person standing next to her wasn't someone she recognised, however. They were around the same height and he wore a long cloak with spiky, purple hair and a red bandana covering his lower face, much like the girl. On his side of the field, ghostly knights stood before him, proud and swords ready for battle.

It seemed she had come at the very end of the duel, for it didn't take long until the two took out their opponents, sending them flying in a very real shockwave. _'Just like with Sawatari',_ her mind helpfully reminded her. A shiver ran down her spine.

The dust settled, the two adults left groaning on the ground, and the two left standing turn to leave when the girl spots Yuzu and stops in her tracks.

Their eyes meet across the distance between them, light blue meeting dark pink. Yuzu thinks she can hear a distant hum in the air. Her wrist feels warmer than before.

"Hee, that's an interesting display you showed there."

The moment is broken and Yuzu whirls to face Sora, wondering when he had walked up behind her. He was holding a big lollipop in his hand, staring at the two with a sharp look in his green eyes.

The girl tenses up, but neither of them says anything, but she can see them frowning. The boy touches her arm, and they share a silent look, nodding once before turning to leave.

Yuzu involuntarily takes a step forward and opens her mouth to… shout? Shout what, exactly?

But they're already gone when she gathers her wits, and her hand grasps nothing but empty air.

"What, someone you know, Yuzu?" Sora speaks up next to her, hands behind his head. "That was Xyz summoning, right? Wonder where they learned that…"

Yuzu only keeps looking at where they once stood, not answering. She didn't know what to think. But…

It didn't change what she had to do. She had to keep telling herself that.

* * *

 _ **Should it be tailwind or another high slope, you gotta still run forward**_

 _ **Time to make that overflowing courage your friend**_

 _ **And from now fly higher and further, never give up!**_

* * *

Yuto frowns in worry from where he's hiding in a corner. This duel school seemed to like to keep the lights low, which worked well for him. He could see Yuya's duel pretty well from here.

It just so happened it wasn't going very well for him.

The girl, Mieru he thinks she was called, had driven him into a corner. Yuto could tell that Yuya was scrambling, trying to think of _something_ so he could win. But it wasn't looking very good, and his opponents urging for him to quit the duel before he got hurt wasn't helping.

Yuto flexed his fingers, shifting on his feet where he stood. Even if he didn't believe her words, and he could tell Yuya didn't either, he still felt uneasy. Talk about a 'terrible fate' wasn't sitting well with him.

He wanted to talk to him, but he stopped himself. Yuya wanted to grow stronger, he didn't want to hover when he had this challenge in front of him.

A creak and a cracking noise make it's way to his ears, and he watches in horror as the chandelier-like structure starts to fall. With Yuya on it, still trying to reach an Action Card.

 _[YUYA!]_

Ingrained reflexes are all that's holding him back from bolting out of his hiding spot and towards the field, waiting with a loud pounding in his chest to hear Yuya's voice.

 _/I'm fine.\_

Yuto feels his shoulders grow lax in relief, letting out a big sigh.

 _/Hey, Yuto?\_

 _[Yeah?]_

Yuto's chest felt hot.

 _/Could you lend me a hand?\_

An image flashed before his eyes, of swirling balls of light that looked like stars, circling around an imposing shape with mismatched eyes. It felt familiar, yet foreign, and he wanted to let them out.

 _[Sure. Let's do it.]_

Yuto didn't remember much of the duel, only that it felt much closer than it should from where he was standing.

* * *

 _ **Opening the door to our future, let's go make our dreams come true!**_

 _ **Just keep this smile always with you!**_

* * *

Yuya Xyz Summoned.

Even when the duel is over, Yuzu is still surprised by it. It had been so sudden, like he had reached an inner calm, before summoning monsters and Pendulum cards until a dragon with shooting stars around it appeared and helped him win.

Maybe she was supposed to be unnerved. But seeing Yuya's smile, happy and relieved like he had accomplished something he'd been wanting to do for a long time.

"Yuya."

He looks up in surprise at seeing her and Sora, before smiling. "Yuzu! Sora! When did you get here?"

"Just in time for the grand finale!" Sora says, grinning. "When did you learn to Xyz summon, Yuya?"

"Ehehe," he laughs, sounding almost embarrassed. He casts a quick glance up at the stands, before looking back at them, hands behind his head. "That's a secret!"

As Sora whines over how it's unfair and to 'just tell me, it's not that big a deal, right?', Yuzu stays silent. Then red eyes look at her, questioning.

Somehow, she feels happy.

Yuzu smiles. "Congrats on your win and Xyz summon, Yuya."

He looks a little surprised, before grinning a wide, honest smile. "Thank you, Yuzu." He looks her over, thinking. "You're doing your best too, right? To get stronger. I'll cheer you on, I know you can do it."

Yuzu smiles, pointing at him. "Of course! I won't let you run further ahead!"

They share grins, and for a moment it feels like they're kids again, back when they still kept a careful watch on their Win/Lose records, and beating each other was a big deal. Always competing to be better, until they realised it didn't really matter who won or lost, so long as it was fun.

Maybe she should make sure to remember that better.

* * *

 _ **(Hurray, hurray!) When everyone's feeling become one, yes, yes!**_

 _ **You gotta keep showing this sparkling appearance all the time**_

 _ **(Hurray, hurray!) No matter what, you're never alone.**_

 _ **It's all okay; I'm nearby, so shine bright!**_

 _ **Embracing all your dreams and courage in your heart, head off forward to the future!**_

* * *

I should just add a tag that says 'occasionally turns into a songfic'

feat. 'Never Give Up ' from Aikatsu Stars


	22. Are you well?

/Yuya\  
~Yugo~  
[Yuto]  
{Yuri}

Realised I've forgotten to put this the last few chapters, oops ^^;

Hope you'll enjoy the new chapter! We've got an exciting event happening that I've been dying to get to owo Hope everyone likes it as well ^v^

* * *

"Masumi!"

"Hey, calm down-"

Masumi whirls on her heel, black hair swirling around her face as she faces her friends. Hokuto and Yaiba stutter to a stop at the look in her eyes.

"I will not calm down! Professor Marco has been attacked, along with several teachers and top tier students! With the assailants still out there going free and targeting people at LDS, how can you two be so calm?!"

They wince at her loud voice and words. Masumi almost feels a little bad raising her voice at them, but she was fuming. There wasn't a better way to describe the trembling in her fingers, the twist in her chest or the way her lower lip was aching from her biting it. It was a bad habit from her childhood she thought she had gotten rid of.

But who could blame her, when LDS teachers, students, _Professor Marco_ , was hospitalised. Attacked by some unknown assailant and left on the cold ground until someone stumbled upon them.

There were three of them, two males and one female, all Xyz users. They rarely attacked in a group, stuck to empty parts of the city, waiting until their target was alone.

At first, she thought them to be mere cowards. Then a team of three Top students had been found, defeated. It had been finished in two turns, is what she had overheard.

"Even so," Yaiba starts, tapping his shinai against his shoulder. "Just what are you planning to accomplish, wandering around the streets and hoping to run into them?"

Hokuto nods. "He's right, Masumi. That's like asking to be attacked!"

"Well, let them come! I won't lose to such pitiful duelists!"

"Don't be reckless!" Hokuto finally shouts at her. "They've taken down teachers! And members of the top team! You can't go up against them on your own!"

"Even so!" Masumi clenches her fist in frustration. She knew it was reckless, but she had to do it, refused to let them get away with it.

The other two are silent for a moment, sharing a look.

"But," Masumi looks up at Yaiba grinning a toothy smile. "If you've got us with you, there's no problem, right?"

Hokuto nods, smiling, arms crossed over his chest. "It's not like I'm not frustrated myself, seeing Xyz being used to attack people in that way. We'll help you out."

Masumi blinks in surprise. A grateful smile finds its way to her face. "Yaiba, Hokuto…"

"But still, just walking the streets aimlessly won't do us much use…" Hokuto frowns in thought.

Masumi taps her chin. True, just walking around could take ages before they find them. In that case...

"How about going to the investigators? Try and talk them into letting us help to lure them out?"

Yaiba grins. "Ooh, that's a good idea!"

* * *

"Yuuuzu?"

She jumps at the voice suddenly much closer to her, only to yelp as she registers the face leaning into her space. She stumbles back. "Rin! Don't scare me like that!"

Rin quirks a sole eyebrow at her. "You didn't respond to me at all. Are you okay?"

Was she okay? Of course she was. Her training with Fusion summoning was progressing well, Sora had won his final qualification match for the tournament and Yuya's last one was soon. She didn't at all think of the girl in a bandana that hid a face identical to her's underneath its red fabric…

Fingers snap in front of her face, making her jump again. She looks up, and for a moment dark pink and dark purple flitters over her vision.

But then the image fades like dust once she blinks, and the dark hair turns bright green and pink becomes orange as Rin's frowning face fills her view. Her brow is furrowed in exasperation and a hand is resting on her hip, fingers still hovering in front of Yuzu's face. She had tuned out again.

"Sorry…" she says, sheepish.

Rin only quirks an unimpressed eyebrow at her, before straightening and turning to walk ahead to the others. The clicking of her boots somehow sounded louder than the rowdiness Yuya and Sora was getting up to. "You're not gonna win any duels like that."

Yuzu flinches, the words feeling like a jab in the gut.

Because Rin was right. Even if she had gotten stronger, it didn't mean anything if she couldn't concentrate. At this rate, she would waste Sora's efforts to train her. What was wrong with her?

If she only could get some _answers_ -

Yuzu freezes. Her gaze had just wandered over the buildings, not looking for anything in particular. Then, she caught sight of a familiar figure in an alley, covered by the shadows of the setting sun.

Even across the street, their eyes met.

They turned away, long hair flaring out behind them as they turned away.

Yuzu didn't think before she started running after them.

"H-hey, Yuzu?! Where are you going?" Yuya shouts after her as she quickly crosses over the empty street.

"Sorry, I remembered I have something to do!" she shouts over her shoulder. "Go home ahead of me, I'll be back later!"

She thinks Sora might have said something, but she doesn't hear it. She's focused on not losing sight of the strange girl again.

Yuzu doesn't see the way Rin's eyes linger on her and the spot where their third doppelganger had once stood.

* * *

Once, Ruri had called him a mother hen.

It was good-natured, said through giggles and a light voice. Shun had been thrown-off, as you do when you become the target of Ruri's rare teasing side. She had a knack for finding a way to describe people in a very accurate if new way.

' _Because you're so concerned about your friends,'_ is what she had said when he had asked, in what possible way, he was a mother hen. He had protested, of course, because it was ridiculous.

Sure, he could admit to being a bit pushy. But growing up with Ruri as a little sister did that to you. Because Ruri had been a bit of an airhead as a child. Always forgetting things, misplacing her stuff, leaving textbooks or homework at home, almost walking into things if he wasn't there to gently pull at her dress to correct her. Her habit of wandering off had almost driven him insane, until he found her again, smiling like she hadn't almost given him a heart attack.

When Yuto had entered their lives, it was just another one to look after.

Because Yuto was a recluse, who didn't always eat properly, didn't always speak up about what he wanted or didn't want. Who slunk off silently when the other kids got too rowdy, finding a corner to occupy until he was allowed to leave. Prime material to be picked on, easy to forget with his quiet steps and voice.

Then Shun had picked him up by the metaphorical and near literal scruff of his neck and hauled him into the little sphere that consisted of Shun and his little sister. Ruri had attached herself neatly to his other side with a smile, and that was that.

Putting himself in the line of fire so they won't have to was second nature by this point. Only sometimes they wouldn't let him and insisted on tagging along, to share the pain the spray of bullets would inevitably leave behind.

But this time, at least, he was alone.

"Are you one of the assailants? That's been going around attacking members of LDS?"

The black-haired girl standing before him glared daggers. She looked to be around Ruri's age, but her eyes were unstained by the horrors she had witnessed. Prideful and angry, but no iron will were behind them. Weak, still.

Even as she was joined by two friends, his opinion didn't change. Only silently waiting for them to finish their turns so he could end this. Another duel against duelist who knew nothing of a real fight.

If he'd been a mother hen before, maybe now he'd be considered a mother hawk. Because no matter if Yuto and Ruri got angry at him, he would not lose them to anything, refused to let them get hurt or needlessly see their faces turn dark and downtrodden in sadness.

And it's these thoughts that fill him as the supposed boss of LDS steps out from behind the crowd of people in suits, finally getting out to meet them. His unconscious opponents lay behind him, not even lasting one turn. He knew Yuto was watching from somewhere in the shadows and that Ruri wouldn't be long to come as well.

No matter if it was Academia or anyone else, they'd have to go through him first and pry his little sister and best friend from his cold, dead hands.

* * *

It had turned dark quickly. The sky above no longer coloured in orange and crimson, but a dark blue and grey clouds, obscuring the stars.

Yuzu steps carefully through the alley, looking around the darkness in hope of catching a glimpse of the figure she had lost sight of. It was hard, and she should probably turn back, but she still kept walking. In the distance, she thought she could hear voices.

' _Is that girl dueling against someone?'_

Yuzu moves to follow the noise, only to stumble to a stop as someone steps out in front of her, blocking her path.

"Sorry." Her breath caught in her throat as the familiar voice filled her ears. "I can't let you go any further."

Yuzu almost thought it was a challenge at first. But the tone was soft, a mere hint of a threat in it that she almost missed. Her bare arms showed no hint of a duel disk either.

The girl almost looked like she was melting in among the shadows, the sole light coming from the circle of silver around her wrist, the yellow stone standing in contrast to the rest of her.

"Why?" Yuzu manages to get out from her suddenly closed up throat. "What's going on? What is it I'm not allowed to know?!"

The last part came out a little louder than she meant to. Her worries and frustrations felt like they were bubbling up, but she desperately pushed them down.

"Why are there two girls who look exactly like me? Where did you come from? Just appearing all of a sudden as if from nowhere, or from thin air... " The sudden heat left her in a whoosh as her shoulders slumped. "...And what does that make me, then?"

The other's eyes softened, losing the hard edge in them. Hands move to pull down the bandana covering her lower face, revealing their likeness to the shadowed walls and cloudy night sky.

The girl's lips pull into a small smile. "You're Hiiragi Yuzu, right?"

Yuzu startles. "How do you…?"

"I've watched you for a little while now, and I know you're your own person." She startles, as if realising something. She waves her hand. "Ah! Not in a creepy way! Just for certain reasons I can't really tell you, sorry..."

Her apologetic giggle and embarrassed face somehow calmed Yuzu down, even feeling a small smile of her own form. It was such a different look to the other times they'd run into each other.

But there was still something she needed to know. "Then, who are you? And what's happening over there?"

The girl switches from relaxed to serious faster than Yuzu could blink. Dark pink eyes linger away from her, thinking. Something flickers in them before they look back at her again, small smile back in place.

"I suppose you deserve to know that, at least," she says, shifting in place to a more comfortable looking stance. "I'm Kurosaki Ruri, the one who's currently dueling is my brother, Shun."

"Ruri…" Then the rest of the sentence caught up with her brain. "Wait, dueling? Why can't I go there?"

"You could get in trouble. And we don't want anyone to interrupt."

Yuzu's brow twisted in frustration. "Interrupt what?"

"I can't tell you." Ruri smiles apologetically. "Don't worry, we're not looking to hurt anyone."

"But-" Yuzu starts, but stops, trying to formulate the words in her head. "Then, where did you come from? Why are you here?"

Ruri's eyes crinkle at the edges, expression turning sad. "I wish we could have come in nicer circumstances. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

Yuzu is about to shout in frustration, but then Ruri takes a few steps closer to her, eyes shining with curiosity that wasn't quite hidden. Then, she smiles, face lighting up once more. "We really look alike, don't we?"

Yuzu blinks, trying to gather her scattered thought together again. "Y-yeah."

Ruri's smile turns more understanding. "I know it's probably frustrating not knowing anything, but I promise it won't stay that way. If we meet again and you still don't know, I promise to tell you. And I'll answer your questions as well as I can."

"...Really?" Yuzu asks hesitantly. _'Why can't you do it now? Why do I have to wait?'_ is what she thinks, but doesn't say. Ruri's eyes have an understanding and sympathetic look in them, as if she knew what Yuzu was going through. She looked tired, yet still had a vivid spark in her.

Ruri pauses, then, she lifts a hand and holds out her little finger with a slightly playful smile, easing the tired look on her face. Her bracelet jingle and seem to catch onto the weak light there was. "Pinky promise."

Yuzu looks at the outstretched pinky in front of her in surprise. This felt surreal. It was such an odd situation. Maybe she should be demanding answers, be more forceful. But the urge wasn't strong enough to act on it, and Ruri's behaviour was odd but… not bad. Like this is how she should be.

So Yuzu lifts her own hand and coils her own pinky with Ruri's, who shakes their connected hands up and down to seal the childish gesture and promise, bracelets seeming to catch the almost non-existent light.

* * *

Yugo had started associating the sound of footsteps in the hall outside his cell door with 'bad things'. Sometimes they just passed by, which still made him tense. It was the times he was dragged out that he never looked forward to. This time was no different.

Yet somehow, the twisting in his stomach felt even worse than normal today. He didn't know why, yet this really foreboding feeling had been pressing down on him as soon as the door had been unlocked. But he was determined to grit his teeth and though it out.

When he'd been thrown a white gown and told to change, then lead to wide, white hallways with bright lights in the ceiling, he'd started squirming.

And when he'd been brought into a room, where he could see a room beyond a wall of glass, containing what looked like an operating table, tables with weird tools and people in white milling about, he felt like he was about to throw up.

It was getting a little hard to breathe. Objects were clinking, metal tables were being rolled around, people were doing things in the room beyond the glass and Yugo wanted to be anywhere but here.

' _I'm scared.'_

And he was. It felt weird, when was the last time he had been afraid? Truly frightened? Maybe when Security had been chasing them down and Rin had stepped in front of him, about to get hurt covering for him.

' _I'm in some weird bright room that's making my eyes hurt and there are people in lab coats around and there are all these tools that look like they're for surgery and there's an operating table in the other room and people everywhere and-'_

Somewhere, he thought he could hear Clear Wing growl.

Then there was roaring. It didn't sound very familiar.

 _ **Little one.**_

 _Huh?_

 _ **You have to run. As fast as you can.**_

Someone had moved behind him, holding tightly onto his shoulders. The cuffs around his ankles were being removed. A man stood ready nearby with another pair that had buckles on the back.

It was now or never.

Yugo didn't think, just sucked in a deep breath, and threw his leg out. He caught the person right in the chin, teeth making a hard clack as their mouth gets shut violently. He doesn't watch them fall back with a yell, but braces his feet against the floor, and throws his whole weight backwards.

The guard that had been holding him in place, whose hold had loosened in surprise at his sudden movement, was shoved into the glass cabinet behind them, taking a metal tray with him. The glass shatters, the trolley topples over with all it's contents flying out into the room. Not all of it hit the floor.

People are screaming in alarm and a light smell of blood hits his nose before Yugo is sprinting away, eyes on the door leading back out to the hallway. As if on cue, the doors slide open, a doctor standing on the other side who quickly turns shocked as he's bodily shoved to the side. A stumble from the contact before Yugo is tearing down the hall, loud voices fading behind him.

' _Run, run, run, run-'_ That's the only word running through his head. Why did all these stupid halls look the same? He had no clue where the hell he was. Hell, where was he even supposed to run to?!

Loud voices to his right made him glance over, seeing the vague shape and colour of the Security uniforms as he passed by and decided he could think on it later. Right now he needed to _get away._

His bare feet slapped against the cold metal floors, winding down hallways and stumbling around corners, nearly hitting walls in his haste. The cuffs still around his wrists were heavy, rubbing painfully against his skin. A larger pair of doors came up ahead, which he rammed his shoulder against to throw it open. Thankfully, it opened, and he stumbled through, just barely managing to stay on his feet. The floor underneath him changed from metal to soft carpet, but his feet still hurt against it.

He ran past other people, who either jumped aside and shouted words he couldn't make out after him, or he almost ran right into them, hitting them with his shoulder. He couldn't even throw out a 'sorry' over his shoulder, trying to save his breath even as his throat and lungs started to burn.

Was he still being pursued? He didn't know, didn't want to stop and see for fear they would catch up with him if he did. He thought he could hear voices shouting but he wasn't sure where they came from.

Where should he go? Where where _where-_

Maybe it was his haste, his muddled thoughts, or the way his vision started to get fuzzy, that he didn't see the person coming up as he rounded another corner. He slammed right into them, pushing them back a few steps. It felt a little like hitting a wall, just a little softer.

He tried to step around them, only for a strong hand to take ahold of his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"Let go-!" he hisses, voice raspy and heavy as he panted. He couldn't stop now, he could already feel the exhaustion creep up his limbs.

"A child…?"

The deep voice sounded confused, but he paid it no mind, cuffed hands going up to claw uselessly at the hand trapping him. Even coupled with throwing his bod wright around only made the arm sway. "Let GO!"

He couldn't breathe, not enough air was going into him and he was starting to sway on his feet.

Then, the steel-tight grip around his shoulder lightened, but didn't let go. Another hand grabbed one of his arms, pulling it away.

"You're close to hyperventilating. Calm down. Take deep breaths, and try to breathe through your nose, not your mouth."

The deep voice tried to sound reassuring but came off more rough-sounding. It reminded him of Rin, just a little. He tried to do as it said, even as his throat burned and he hacked and coughed and his mouth tasted like blood. His eyes stung and he blinked rapidly to clear up his hazy vision.

"Good," the voice said when his breathing had gotten somewhat under control. There was a pat to his shoulder.

Yugo looked up, vision finally clear. He froze, breath catching in his throat again.

His brain struggles to connect all the pieces that scream familiar to him. Blond hair. Purple eyes. White and grey regal-looking clothes.

There was no mistake. He'd watched this man's duels so many times, seen him on dozens of billboards and screens over the City.

"...Jack?"

The reigning Duel King, Jack Atlas, frowns down at him. God he was so tall, towering over him easily. He was still holding a steadying hand on his shoulder, Yugo's arm having been let go of without him realising it. His cuffed wrists hung heavily in front of him.

Yugo felt awkward. This was not how he wanted to meet the person he admired the most, the hero of the Commons. He wanted to shrink back as Jack's brow furrowed further down and a dark look entered his eyes.

The sound of voices, followed by multiple footsteps coming closer to their location made him snap back to reality. A shiver ran through him as he remembered he was still being chased, wasn't safe in any way. He tried to step back, to start running again. But the hand on his shoulder still wasn't going away, grip only growing tighter.

A group of three men in uniforms round the corner, coming to an abrupt and shocked halt at seeing them, surprised exclamations mixing together. "K-King?!"

Yugo looks up. Jack is silent, staring at the men with hard eyes that gave nothing away. Even so, the guards soon regain their composure and step closer, looking confident again.

One stepped forward and spoke. "Good work apprehending the runaway, King. We will take it from here."

A heavy, cold weight settled in Yugo's stomach. He took a step back, trying to get away from the approaching guard and his raised hand.

"Runaway?"

Jack's rough voice made the confidence in the guards waver and the one coming closer stop in his tracks. His tone was less questioning and more demanding an answer.

"Ah, y-yes. An escaped criminal."

"Who's a criminal?!" Yugo angrily shouts. "You just captured me for no reason!"

"Quiet! You have no right to speak!" The guard snarls.

Yugo bares his teeth, glaring as anger fills him. He's so damn tired of these people talking down to him all the time.

"What is a supposed criminal doing here?" They both flinch as Jack speaks again.

The guard flounder under the King's piercing stare. "I'm sorry, sir, but that is not something I can say-"

Purple eyes narrow just a smidge. "Not even to the King?"

"W-well-"

A guard in the back cuts in, apparently tired of waiting. "Anyway, King, please hand over the boy. Chief wanted the procedure done today."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as sharp eyes cut to the one speaking, looking as if the eyes were about to pierce a hole in the man. "'Procedure'?"

Jack looks back at Yugo again, who freezes at the scrutinization. Eyes swept over his appearance, taking in the sunken eyes, the gown he'd been given to wear, the cuffs around his wrists and the red, irritated marks left behind on his ankles. They seemed to linger on his feet for a moment longer, and as Yugo shifted, he realised they _really_ hurt. He meets Jack's eyes resolutely anyway, refusing to back down or avert his gaze even in this shitty situation. He almost thought he could hear Clear Wing rumbling.

 _Something_ seems to click behind the tall man's eyes, at least partly, for they narrow in a dark, furious glare. Not aimed at Yugo, however, but at the guards it's quickly aimed at.

"S-sir-?"

"You are dismissed." The voice was sharp and demanding, loud in the former silence.

"Excuse me?"

"You are to leave, right now. I'll take over from here."

"King, you can't-"

"I am the King!" Jack sharply cuts him off. Yugo startles as he's dragged closer and to the side of the man like he was being shielded from the guards. "You will do as I say. I'll have a talk with the council and Roger later. For now, _leave_."

There was no room for argument in his voice. Yugo stared wide-eyed up at him, scarcely believing what was happening.

Was… was Jack helping him?

...Was he safe?

The hand on his shoulder didn't grip hard enough to hurt anymore and was more like a reassuring weight while also making sure he didn't run away. He coughed, trying to find his voice and force words to come out. "Um..."

Jack looked down at him, eyes narrowing a touch. Then, the hand moved from his shoulder to his head, making him let out a surprised yelp as it ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry." He looks up as best he can from the hand pushing his head down, confused. Jack was turned towards the arguing guards but was looking at him from the corner of his eyes. "They won't hurt you anymore."

Yugo gaped. Then he had to lower his head and bite his lip, hard, to keep the sudden stinging in his eyes at bay. Maybe refusing to let his idol see him cry was a bit redundant after all this, but he didn't care.

Jack didn't say anything, only averted his eyes and tousled his hair a little more, slightly gentler this time. It felt reassuring.


	23. Night Sky

Heey folks, a quick update I'd appreciate you read before diving into the latest chapter ;v;

So I don't know how many of you remember a little plot point I put many chapters ago regarding Yuri and Serena. Basically, it hinted that they'd sneak off to the Fusion resistance at some point.

I've decided to scrap that idea. But I felt I wanted to explain why to you all.

In short, it didn't feel like it was working. It felt clunky, and while I could come up with ideas for the version where they don't go, I could only really come up with one quite good one if they did. When I wrote that part in, I swear I had a really good idea for why it should happen, but it quickly became forgotten and I can't for the life of me remember what it was(this is why you write your ideas down kids).

This is honestly something that has bothered me quite a bit for a long time, and how to go about it. It's gotten to where it hindered me in working on other parts of this story. So I finally decided, if it's gonna bring me such a hassle, I think it needs to go.

For anyone who was excited about the idea, I'm really sorry you won't get to see it happen! The thought of there maybe being people who wanted to see it made me hesitant to cut it, but you can't have everything and sometimes things need to be cut. However, if anyone wants to hear a short version of how it would have gone, just say so in a comment and I'll tell you ^^ It's not spoilery in the slightest and it's the least I can do for anyone who looked forward to it or was interested in the idea.

And thus, at the time where this update goes up, I'll have edited the chapter where this was brought up, and also going through the rest to remove any mention of it. There won't be a huge difference, don't worry, I simply don't want to have it sitting there when it will never come to fruition.

If you've read this far, thank you! I hope you can understand my thought process and still enjoy this story. This will very likely be the only time this sort of thing happens, so don't worry about more retconning.

Whew, this got longer than I'd thought it'd be :,D

* * *

 _/So…. you're safe?\_

Yugo hadn't realised how much he had missed talking to the other guys. Between blocking them out during his outings from his cell and then spending a lot of time asleep, or just flat out unconscious, their time spent talking had decreased. Then again, when he was awake, he didn't have much else to do _except_ talk to them, so maybe it technically balanced itself out? 

Eh, too complicated. Either way, a pleasant feeling spread through him as he was able to talk to them normally again.

 _~I think so? I'm pretty sure I am. Probably.~_

 _{Oh, how reassuring.}_

Yugo frowns irritably, but it was more out of habit. Even Yuri's normally standoffish tone was nice to hear again. Something he never expected to think in his life, but there you go. Maybe because it lacked some of its usual bite and arrogance, or that could just be him imagining things.

 _~I'm not in that shitty cell anymore, at least.~_

The grey box with three pieces of furniture and a small window wasn't even comparable. A whole wall was a large window, overlooking the city far below and you could even see the ocean line far out over the rooftops. Yugo had not yet managed to tear himself away from the view, wishing the glass could disappear from under his hands so he could feel the wind and smell the fresh night air outside.

 _[So, what happened, exactly?]_

Yugo frowns thoughtfully, forehead meeting the glass with a small thunk. This whole day has been a trip, and it's swirling around his head like clothes in a washing machine. But he tried to grab ahold and sort through his thoughts through the bubbles and rushing water.

 _~Well…~_

* * *

 _Yugo shifts, still feeling a tad uncertain. He couldn't help but glance around warily even now, feeling a bit out of place in the room that screamed expensive all over._

 _Yugo wondered if he'd ever feel more out of place in his life than he did right now. Not even when he and Rin finally saved up enough money to buy their riding suits(and man he really missed his suit) and started wearing them everywhere did he feel this weird. And it wasn't unusual for Commons to wear them, just not kids their age._

 _He didn't notice stuff like that as a big deal unless Rin brought it up first._

 _Now, though, he felt both awkward and the gravity of the situation he was in._

 _Standing in front of the Executive Council, still wearing nothing but the gown he'd been made to wear. At least his cuffs had finally been removed, wrists stinging and a glaring ring of red around them. He couldn't quite keep his hands from hovering over the aching parts, as if shielding them from view and further pain. His feet hurt even more now that the adrenaline was gone, his right one in particular spiking up with pain when he shifted a certain way._

 _The sole positive was that Jack Atlas, the Jack Atlas, long-reigning Duel King of City, was standing next to him. Despite giving off such an imposing aura, it still felt reassuring to have the man there._

 _Especially when the bastard Roger was standing on the other side of the room, glaring at the King like he had killed his beloved pet goldfish. Twice. Yugo was almost surprised he hadn't started screeching._

 _Maybe the guards in white standing guard against the walls held him back, or the fact that he was in front of his superiors._

" _Now then." The sound of the old man in the center starting to speak made him startle, the tense silence suddenly being interrupted. The seemingly kind smile on the white-clad man unsettled him. "It appears we have quite the interesting situation on our hands."_

 _Jack remains silent while Roger huffs, face twisting in irritation. Yugo glances up at the council as he feels their questioning eyes on him. Why did they have to sit so high up, to give people neck cramps?_

' _Why are all Tops buildings so damn big anyway? Why do they need such high roofs?'_

" _There is no situation," Roger says, eyes narrowed but face having returned to being almost completely blank, only a faint down-turn to his brows to hint at his irritation. "The King is simply withholding an escaped criminal from Security."_

 _That's what he was? A criminal? It's Security so he shouldn't be surprised, but it still made him angry to hear._

" _Oh my, a criminal?" One of the council members says, questioning. "This boy?"_

 _Roger nods and smiles and it makes Yugo's skin crawl. It was the type he'd see sometimes behind a glass window, like things were going his way and the man was overly pleased about it._

" _That dangerous criminal assaulted our guards and ran away. Had the King not interfered, the situation would have already been resolved, and your time would not be wasted standing here."_

 _Yugo frowns hard, nails digging into his palms. He almost takes a step forward to yell at the bastard, when a hand moves in front of him. Jack is looking at him out of the corner of his eye with an unreadable look in them, but he backs up, grumbling a little._

" _King, please do explain your actions." Yugo didn't miss the command just barely hidden behind the polite words._

 _Jack doesn't say anything for a moment, eyes closed and arms now crossed, paying no mind to the inquisitive looks from the Council and Roger's smug look._

" _You keep referring to the boy as a criminal," eyes open to look directly at Roger, "yet I don't see any marker on him."_

 _The man stiffens and Jack continues. "If he was that dangerous, why is he not marked? Or even in prison?"_

 _Roger's expression turn just slightly pinched. The Council members start talking._

" _Does he not have a marker?"_

" _That is against regulations, is it not?"_

 _Their talk turn into murmurs and humming amongst themselves._

" _Boy," Yugo has to take a second before he realises they're speaking to him (and he has a name, damnit), and hurries to look up, not knowing who it was who spoke to him. "Come closer and show your face."_

 _He does, and only limps and winces at the pain shooting up from his foot slightly. He takes it as a small victory. He raises his face, then remembers his fringe hides his forehead and, with some fiddling since his wrists are still cuffed, moves it out of the way. It's like a general rule that marks go on the face or head, but if it's too full, it goes on your arms or chest. Just so it's easy to tell you've been branded a criminal._

 _Yugo had never gotten a mark, though. He'd been expecting it, was surprised every time he was brought out of his cell and he wasn't lead to a room with a chair to be strapped to. He'd heard the stories many times over his life, and had braced himself. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. The only thing that made him anxious was thinking about the look on Rin's face when she saw it._

" _Hmm, the King is right. The boy has no visible mark." The man in the middle who seemed to be the head of the group says. He turns to one of the white-clad guards. "Run a scanner over him just to be sure."_

 _Yugo doesn't flinch when the guard approaches, nor when the device is brought out and it's light run over him, but he frowns and maybe leans back, just a little though. It stays silent._

" _There is no marker on this boy." The guard simply says, stepping back when one of the members nod._

 _Yugo inches back, and when no one tells him to stand in place, he returns to his previous place next to Jack._

" _If there is no marker, there should be no reason for him to be here."_

 _The head looks at Yugo again. "Tell me, boy, how long have you been here?"_

 _Boy, boy, boy, jeez that was really getting on his nerves._

" _My name is_ _ **Yugo**_ _," he says irritably before he can stop himself. With his back turned to him, he doesn't see Jack's mouth almost twitch into a smile. "And… I don't know. Pretty long? It's hard keeping track of time in that grey box I've been forced to live in."_

 _They start murmuring among themselves again, Yugo only catching a word here and there. Glancing back to Jack, he sees that the man isn't looking at him, but at Roger, who's looking angrier than before. The King in comparison doesn't look bothered in the slightest._

 _Despite his currently very shitty situation, he still couldn't help but think about how cool Jack Atlas was._

 _Purple eyes look back at him and he can't help but stiffen up. Was his staring rude? Probably, now that he thought about it. But he didn't avert his eyes, holding the King's gaze until the man broke it himself, looking at the elders._

 _"Yugo will be in my custody."_

 _'Huh?'_

 _Going by the sudden silence behind him, the Council seemed as surprised as him. Maybe he was more shocked, but he didn't think to turn around and check._

 _"My, King, that's quite the bold statement." The weirdly hostile smile is back, looking more amused than before. "Do you feel pity for the boy?"_

 _Jack says nothing, face still blank with a very slight frown. It's Roger who speaks up next._

"' _In your custody'? Forgive me King, but that boy is not under your jurisdiction. You have no claim over him." The voice was mocking enough to notice._

 _Yugo felt a shiver run down his back at the words. Talking about him like he was an object, a thing to tug at and talk over._

 _He hated it._

" _With his lack of mark, despite his long stay here, you don't have much claim either," Jack's eyes narrow slightly. "Unless there is something else you would like to tell us, Yugo will remain with me."_

 _Roger glowers, only barely holding onto his composure. But he says nothing else, staying quiet under the waiting eyes of the Council._

" _Since the King is willing to take responsibility for the boy, I believe we are finished here."_

 _Yugo startles. What?_

" _Yes. There does not appear to be anything more to say."_

 _The old man in the center gives one last smile. "Glad we resolved this so quickly."_

 _Then, just like that, they begin to leave, the guards moving with them. The doors slide closed behind them, and Yugo stares at the metal with disbelieving eyes._

 _That was it? No more fanfare, or questions?_

 _...Had he really just been passed off to someone else like an object?_

 _Roger gives one last sneer, and when Yugo looks over, he can't help but stiffen at the look in them as the man stares right at him. Possessive, that's the feeling he got. Something in him pushed back at that, at the thought of someone owning them._

 _Then the man was hidden by a white cloak and Yugo jumps as Jack Atlas suddenly stands right in front of him, blocking the other man's view._

 _Peering around the tall man(geez he was so tall, was Yugo really that short?), he sees Roger glower, then turns on his heel and walk away without a word. The doors slide shut behind him, leaving them the only two left._

* * *

 _/And? What happened next?\_

 _~Well, first, he got rid of my cuffs.~_

And boy was that a relief. His wrists were a glaring red still, stinging from the chaffing they'd been under with little rest. He'd gotten some salve for them and been advised to keep them in the open air.

 _~And I saw a doctor? And she was really nice? She kept asking if I felt uncomfortable, and if I was hurting anywhere else. It was so weird, but also kinda nice?~_

 _[You had to see a doctor?]_

 _~As a general thing, I guess. But uh, turns out, in my rather hasty escape I uh…. stepped on some glass.~_

 _[What.]_

 _~And cut my foot open.~_

 _/WHAT?\_

 _~Hey it's cool, I didn't need stitches, or something. Just bandages and a pad, and strict order to not put too much strain on it when I can help it.~_

 _{Are you sitting?}_

Yugo flinches, still standing by the window. His foot may or may not be hurting, be he made sure to keep his weight off it!

 _~...No?~_

The almost synchronised triple sighs and groans sounding out in his head made him laugh, despite the trepidation that Yuri would somehow find a way to gut him through their link.

He wouldn't be surprised, the guy had weird ways.

 _{Sit.}_

 _~Dun wanna.~_

 _[Yugo…]_

 _~There is a wall-wide window in front of me and I haven't seen the sky in god knows how long, let me have this.~_

That made them quiet down, and Yugo felt a little bad. He didn't want their pity, or for them to worry, but he was feeling stubborn and anxious in this big, empty room and standing close to the window helped calm him down.

 _/Can't you at least pull up a chair? So you can sit down and still be by the window.\_

….Oh.

 _~Yeah, I can do that. Good idea.~_

 _{You seriously didn't think of it?}_

 _~Shut up Yuri.~_

Looking around at the spacious area, he decided on the armchair by the coffee table and couches. It was close enough he wouldn't need to drag it very far.

He wished Jack hadn't left. After the doctor visit, he'd been brought here, where some people wearing grey uniforms had been waiting. Clothes had been handed to him, with Jack telling him to go take a shower. After tiptoeing around the _very_ fancy bathroom, he'd managed to wash off and felt better than he'd done in ages.

When he'd exited, he'd been brought to what he guessed was a dining hall that they had passed earlier. He'd stared in confusion at the overly long dining table that looked like a hassle to eat at. But when he'd gone back, it was filled with _food._ His stomach had automatically let out a loud growl at the sight and wonderful smells that filled the air. And he'd been given the okay to eat as much as he wanted.

Which, some time later, lead him to now. Jack had told him to stay here and had then left, only saying he would be back soon. Yugo was warm, his stomach was full of food he had never eaten or seen before in his life, and scrubbed clean. And also a little confused.

' _Oh well, I'll just ask when Jack returns,'_ he thinks as he plops down on the high-backed armchair, bouncing on the soft cushions. It was when his weight was off his feet that he properly realised how much they were aching, and he sunk just a little lower into the chair.

 _~Okay, fine, this is good. Happy now?~_

 _/Very.\_

Yugo doesn't know how long he sits there, staring out into the night. He's starting to get sleepy, yawning and lids growing heavier. He barely notices a tingle starting in his chest.

Then, the doors slide open, almost making him fall out of his seat in surprise. He whirls around, mind now very alert, only to slump again when he sees who it is.

"Jack…"

The man looks almost surprised to see him, but he shakes it off and walks over. Yugo scrambles to stand up, wincing at the sudden pressure on his injured foot.

Then, he hears it. A faint, but achingly familiar rumble.

His neck snaps back to the man fast enough it had to hurt, but he pays it no mind, eyes flurrying around until they fall on the object in Jack's hand.

"That's-"

Jack holds it out for him to take. "Your deck."

Yugo hurriedly takes it and he can feel tears almost immediately pricking at his eyes as Clear Wing, his partner and longest friend, starts to rumble happily, so much louder and clearer than he's been in ages. He cradles the deck to his chest, letting the clangs and clinking of his monsters sound over him like a soothing blanket as something lifts from his shoulder.

He rubs at the relieved tears. His voice is wet and hoarse when he speaks. "Thank you."

Jack has a complicated look in his eyes when he looks back up at him, but he sighs and, to Yugo's surprise, a small smile forms on his face. It made him look much less cold.

Maybe it was his overflow of emotions or his exhaustion, but he thought he heard a distant, low growl, different from Clear Wing. It didn't sound threatening, almost protective. But it was quickly gone and quiet once again.

"Your riding suit should be back soon as well. It's being washed at the moment," he says, and Yugo smiles widely at the thought of his suit being returned to him.

"We've got a lot to talk about but… it's late. And you look like you're ready to fall asleep standing."

"I do not," he pouts. Honestly, it wasn't wrong. He could probably sleep like a baby on the soft carpet.

Jack huffs in what could almost be seen as a laugh, and simply taps his shoulder to turn him in the right direction, and Yugo shuffles after him as he walks.

Down a short hall, they stop before a door, which Jack pushes open. It was a large bedroom, with the largest bed Yugo had seen, another large window taking up the furthest wall, a TV, and another door.

"This is a guest bedroom," Yugo feels his jaw drop. "But it's yours from now on. Go to sleep, and we'll talk tomorrow."

"...Okay." Is really all he can manage, taking in the large room that was apparently his now, even temporarily.

Jack nods, mutters a goodnight and steps outside and closes the door quietly behind him before Yugo can respond.

The quiet is a bit eerie, but the faint light from the city far below made the dark not that scary.

Yugo carefully placed his deck on the bedside table, threw back the covers on the bed and crawled in. The sheets smelled weird, but not bad, and he almost sank into the mattress and multitude of pillows. It was warm, he could see the sky from here, and his deck was in his eyesight.

Stretching a hand out from the soft blanket, he groped at the deck, feeling the edges of the cards, and carefully pulled out one card in particular. The white, black and teal of his dragon greeted him, making him smile. He tucked it closer, almost feeling like Clear Wing curled around him, even though there was no way that could happen.

 _~Hey, can we talk until I fall asleep?~_

He hides his overly happy smile in the pillow at the almost instant small talk.

Letting the others soft voices wash over him, he was lulled to a peaceful sleep, Clear Wing held close to his chest.

* * *

"So," Rin says, voice flat and face blank. "When are you going to tell Yuzu and Gongenzaka about your little secret?"

Yuya flinches at the barely masked accusation in her voice, hunching in on himself. "Ah, right, about that…"

Rin gives him a look, leaning back on the swing she was sitting on, hands in her pockets. "I'm almost shocked you haven't told them yet. Aren't you guys really close?"

"We are, but…"

Yuya sighs, scuffing his shoe against the ground as he rocked himself back and forth. "I feel like I've lost the opening? So much is happening, yet it feels like it's not happening fast enough."

"What stopped you before, then?" Rin asks, mimicking his movement. "Yugo tried telling me years ago, obviously I didn't believe him, but… you have some proper proof to give now, right? So what's holding you back?"

Yuya stills, eyes fixed on the ground. What has stopped him…?

That they wouldn't believe him? That's part of it, making them think he was hearing things or making up imaginary friends would only make them worry, and that's the last thing he wanted. But that wasn't the only thing that made him put it off.

"I guess some part of me doesn't want to get them involved," he says, leaning back on the swing so he looked at the park upside down, hands digging into the chains. "It'll get dangerous. I know it will. And it's peaceful here, and some part of me is still hoping I don' have to drag them into this. That they can continue to live peacefully here, oblivious to the terrible things happening."

Because Yuya would have to leave. He'd come to terms to that long ago. It wouldn't be forever, but he refused to let Yuto, Yugo and Yuri fight alone while he sat peacefully on the sidelines. But Yuzu and Gongenzaka wouldn't need to.

Rin is silent, the only sound being the creaking from her swing and the wind rustling the trees. It was strangely nostalgic.

Then her foot thrusts out and kicks his swing, hard. Yuya yelps loudly as he tumbles out of it, landing hard on the ground, one leg still hanging from the swing seat.

"Idiot."

Yuya looks up at Rin, who's frowning down at him, having moved her swing so she could face him without twisting her neck, feet firm on the ground holding her still.

"Do you think Yuzu and Gongenzaka would be happy with that?"

"Huh?"

Rin huffs, glaring at him. She lets her swing move so she faces the park again, only part of her face now visible to him.

"You know what I would do if Yugo tried to leave without telling me?"

Yuya blinks at the sudden change in conversation, but stayed silent. He had the feeling Rin's next kick would be aimed at him directly next if he interrupted.

"I don't think he ever would, because it's alway just been the two of us, looking out for each other in the ways we could. But if, if Yugo decided he needed to leave, to do something important he didn't want to involve me in…"

Rin turned to look at him, and Yuya stiffens at the look in her eyes.

"I'd go after him. No matter if it was across dimensions or whatever the fuck kind of place he'd go to, I'd find a way to follow him. And then I'd smack him, for daring to leave me behind and charging headfirst into danger alone, without telling me, without giving me the _choice_ to go with him or not."

Rin closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets it out in a big whoosh. A hint of a smile forms on her icy serious face. "And I know he'd do the same for me. He'd go after me, mad that I wouldn't let him know, wouldn't rely on him, wouldn't share the burden at least a little."

Amber eyes seem to pierce into red, and Yuya can't find it in himself to move, even as the ground sap the warmth from his body and rocks poke him in the back and his leg is falling asleep.

"Do you really think that they won't try to go after you? Charge headfirst into whatever that's ahead, just so you're not alone on the mission you've given yourself? That they won't be angry that you don't trust them enough to rely on them, at least a little? To not even _tell_ them about that which you consider so important you'd willingly rush into danger for?"

Rin's words pierce like a knife. Hands reach up to tug down his goggles over his eyes, and he stares up at the dark sky through the glass. He hears Rin let out a sigh, followed by the squeak of her swing.

"I may not have been here for very long, but I can tell. Those two, they will follow after you if you just disappear. And I know you would do the same for them. The absolute least you could do is tell them, so they're _prepared_."

Yuya sucks in a shaky breath, eyes shutting tight behind the coloured glass. "You sure don't hold back with your words, Rin."

She scoffs, boot scuffing hard against the ground. "Why should I? No point in it, is there?"

Yuya laughs, just a little. He lets the words sink in, absorbing them even as they cut close.

"...I really haven't been very fair, have I?"

"Nope," Rin says, letting the 'P' pop loudly. "Be glad I haven't smacked some sense into you by now. Do you even know how much this has worn on Yuzu? Be glad my Xyz counterpart seems to have calmed some of her worries."

Yuya blinks up at her, confused. "Have they met?"

"I'm guessing a few times. Saw Yuzu run after her a few days ago, she came back a little more relaxed." Rin turns to him again. "If you don't tell her soon, I'll be mad. Only reason I haven't is that you need to do it, or she'll just be mad."

Yuya laughs hesitantly, climbing back to his feet and sitting down on the swing again, brushing himself off. "Yeah, yeah she would."

He takes a deep breath, then another. He needed to tell them. And soon, before things got out of control. So they knew what to expect.

And he wanted them to know, about the people so very, very important to him.

"Rin?" She glances at him. "Thanks. For giving me a wake-up call."

She smiles. It was a tad sharp, but so very Rin. "You're welcome."

"We'll go get him." She stiffens, knowing immediately who he was referring to. "I know you've been holding back, that you're frustrated. That you probably want to go save him more than any of us. I promise."

Rin stares at him, eyes wide with surprise colouring them. Then, she sighs, sounding so tired and spent. "You better. I'm sure not gonna stop until he's back next to me, even if he's safe now."

"I know," Yuya says. Because he did, he was the same. "It'll be fine."

"You gotta tell Yuzu and Gongenzaka. Promise you'll do."

"I will. Next time I have the chance, I'll tell them everything."

"Good."

Rin isn't looking at him even as she raises a fist at him, letting it hover in the air between their swings.

Yuya smiles, and bumps it with his own.


	24. Blue Sky

**/Yuya\**

 **~Yugo~**

 **[Yuto]**

 **{Yuri}**

 **...Oh btw, I've decided to add background Natureshipping. Because I felt it like it, and thought it would be interesting in this universe. Dimensionshipping will of course always be the number one priority, but just so ya'll know ^^ Hope it won't be a turn-off**

* * *

Reiji leans back in his chair, eyes never straying from the images displayed on his computer screen.

They were pictures of two children, discovered years ago on his father's computer after it had been left abandoned in his office. They couldn't have been more than ten, staring into the camera and standing straight-backed in front of a white wall.

Reiji hadn't gotten even an inkling of a hint of their significance until his short visit to the Fusion dimension and ran into the girl in one of the pictures. He knew she was important to Akaba Leo, incredibly much so, but for what reason, he still had no clue.

Who would have thought, years later, three different girls looking like slightly older versions of the one he briefly met years ago, would all gather here in Maiami?

Hiiragi Yuzu was without doubt from this dimension. She had school records dating all the way back to kindergarten, along with her duel records.

The other girl Reiji first caught sight of in person at You Show, however, did not.

The synchro user had seemingly appeared out of thin air one day, enrolled into You Show with no fuss. Had it not been for her startling likeness to the other two, Reiji might not have given her much thought.

But then they had picked up strong synchro summoning energy, with the duel against Yaiba confirming with no doubt that it came from her. Their top student of the same summoning technique couldn't even scratch her in the energy levels.

And as if to taunt him, the Xyz users had shown up. And when they finally met face to face, he found an unfamiliar and familiar face staring back at him.

The girl from Xyz, despite looking more tired and skittish than her look-alikes, undeniably shared their face. Here to look for allies to fight against Academia, according to her and her brother. They could be hiding something, but Reiji was not in a position to turn away strong duelists, much less ones who had been up against the very same enemy they were going to fight.

He would have liked to put a little more trust in them, were it not for another issue.

According to their reports, there were no doubt _three_ highly skilled Xyz users here, yet only two had shown up following the night Reiji had stepped in.

Was the last one not in agreement with their decision to seek him out? But then why had they participated in so many duels against students and teachers of LDS? Were they keeping away for other reasons?

Reiji leaned back in his chair with a sigh. There were too many blind spots, not enough answers, or even hints. And he hoped, no, he had to believe, he was doing the right thing. He had to, in order to move forward with no hesitation and a clear mind.

Red eyes, burning with a determination that spoke of deeper meaning than simply seeking strength, floated to his mind. Shoulders that seemed to be burdened with a heavier weight than being the pioneer of a new summoning technique.

" _I had planned on sharing Pendulum from the start, with certain people."_

" _It's not just us, or me, who can use it."_

" _I want to move beyond Pendulum by myself. If I can't find that answer by myself, there's no meaning to me being the supposed founder of Pendulum Summoning. I'm gonna forge the path I'll walk with my own power."_

' _Sakaki Yuya,'_ Reiji picks up the paperwork he was supposed to be doing in preparation for the Championship that was mere days away. _'What is it that drives you so?'_

* * *

"You're entering?!"

Shun just nods, holding both his and Ruri's gazes steadily. "Akaba Reiji asked me too, to look out for any duelists with the potential to fight."

Yuto chews on his bottom lip. He could see the logic. If you wanted to sort out the ones too soft to fight in this war, they were without a doubt the best option. Yuto's seen countless of duelists here who wouldn't survive even one duel against Academia. But still, he didn't like it.

"Are you sure it's okay?" he asks hesitantly.

"If the point of this tournament is to find strong duelists, then I'll play along for now. And," Shun's eyes narrow for a moment. "He said there's someone who uses true Fusion who will enter."

Yuto stiffens, feeling Ruri do the same next to him where they stood in a three-way circle on a building on the outskirts of town. He knew, Yuya had said so, that the one from Academia would enter. But he hadn't thought any of them would face him so soon. Maybe Shun won't fight him, but if Akaba Reiji wants him to figure out who it is, he likely has a good idea already. Even if they said they already knew who it is, it wouldn't help, Shun would duel him either way.

Ruri fidgets next to Yuto, their eyes meeting for a moment. She doesn't like the idea either.

As if sensing their thoughts, Shun cuts in before they can say anything else. "We don't need more than one of us entering. And this way, Ruri is free to move as she wants."

"...Maybe I should have gone with you to LDS after all," Yuto says quietly to himself. The decision that he wouldn't go with them was made between all three of them. Not only freeing up Yuto to not have to be surveilled by LDS like Shun and Ruri were. It also kept any possible, further suspicion away from Yuya. Them sharing a face when Ruri had two other doppelgangers in this city would not go unnoticed.

But now Yuto was starting to rethink that decision, now that they weren't as close to each other as usual. Communicating was hard, any calls or messages open to the risk of being listened to with the tech from Standard.

"Yuto," Shun's voice makes him look back up. It was a bit gentler than it usually was. After the war, that is. "I'll be _fine._ I feel better knowing one of us isn't under their constant surveillance. Just trust me."

Yuto sighs, shoulders losing some of their tension. "I do trust you, Shun. It's LDS I don't trust."

"I want to," Ruri pipes up quietly, hands clasped tightly together. "Not completely, I don't think I can do that, but… this is our best bet. I want to believe Reiji is honest about wanting to protect this city."

They stand in silence, own thoughts filling their heads. The wind blows, pulling at their clothes and hair. It's strong, this high up, but they barely even twitch.

Finally, Yuto lets out a sigh. "It'll be broadcasted, right?"

Shun gives him a slightly confused look, but answers nonetheless. "Yeah, on the big screens outside the stadium."

"Then I'll be watching. And if anything happens, I'm going there. No buts," he adds quickly when both Kurosaki's move to speak. He gives them a hard look. "I'm coming. And contact me if something happens where I can't see it. Or I'll get mad."

Ruri let's out a small laugh, covered by her hand, and Shun even let's a tiny small pull at the corner of his mouth. "I think we can work with that."

"I won't lose," Shun says, voice firm.

"You better," Ruri says, trying to sound light even with the slight sheen of worry in her eyes.

* * *

Sora wondered if the tournament wouldn't start soon. Watching the others talk and scold Yuya for wandering off before the tournament and making them worry wasn't very interesting. Yuya didn't even seem slightly guilty. He did avoid meeting Rin's weirdly piercing gaze though, wonder what was up about that.

He glances over to Rin, who's standing a bit away with a weird expression on her face.

"Hey hey, Rin." She jerks too, then looks down at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Why didn't you enter? It's more fun to duel than just watching."

Rin should be strong enough to do it, even with Synchro summoning. It's not like the duelists here was anything worth noting anyway. Well, except maybe Yuya, cause he was interesting. And Yuzu, she had been taught by him, after all.

"I told you before, I don't feel like it." She waves her hand as if waving away his question, making him pout. "It's not like I'm an official student of You Show anyway."

Yuzu opens her mouth as if to protest, but stops at a quick look from Rin. She backs down, but looks unhappy about it.

"You should have entered, it's more fun than just watching," Sora says, licking his lollipop. "Getting five wins in a row isn't that hard."

"Oh?" She smirks and moves a hand to _ruffle his hair_. "After saying such big words, you better make sure not to lose then, shorty."

Sora frowns, grumpily smacking her hand away from his head. "Obviously! There's no way I could lose! And don't call me short!"

Rin only smiles as the others laugh. Sora bites his lollipop irritably, not enough to break, only leaving marks on the candy.

"I'll be watching closely from the stands then. And if needed, here for physical support."

"...Physical?" Yuzu says hesitantly.

Rin says nothing and simply cracks her knuckles, a small smile playing on her lips. Everyone else takes an almost instinctive step back. Sora mentally scolds himself for just barely holding back the urge.

Yuya looked threatened. "...Gotcha."

"There will be no hitting around here!" Yuzu protests.

Rin just shrugs one shoulder. "Just a light smack if any of you get wet feet."

Yuya laughs as Yuzu protests and the kids start to fret over Rin's threat.

Sora is almost surprised when the announcer says over the speakers that it's time for them to line up.

* * *

Yuzu stood before the entrance of the tunnel passage that leads out into the stadium and the field, waiting for her match to start. Her hands were clenched in front of her, eyes roving over her fingers, the lines and calluses she'd developed over the years.

This was it. Her revenge match. Her chance to prove how much she had improved since last time.

"This time… I'll definitely beat Masumi!"

"Ooh, aren't we fired up?"

Yuzu jumps, letting out a squeal. She whirls on her feet, ready to chide whoever that sneaked up on her right before her important match. She stops, angry frown sliding off her face but mouth still hanging open from surprise.

"What are you doing here, Rin?"

The synchro user smiles amusingly, arms crossed over her chest. "Came to wish you luck. Nervous?"

"Oh, no…" She didn't think she was. There was some nervous jittering in her stomach, but she couldn't tell if it was nervousness or excitement. "I just… can't afford to lose. To avenge Ayu, and to show Masumi a different me from the one she fought before."

To prove that she was strong. As strong as Yuya, as Rin, and Ruri. That she had improved and her efforts weren't all for naught. She wouldn't let them be.

"Hmm," Rin hums, giving her a glance, takes in her clenched fist and her blue eyes locked on something they couldn't see.

"Yuzu."

Yuzu blinks out of her daze, looking quickly back up. "What is it, Rin?"

Rin doesn't say anything. She steps closer, so she's only a few feet away and stares silently at her, hand on her hip. Her amber eyes look thoughtful as she looks into the blue of Yuzu's, and she feels her skin heat up a little.

Then, she lifts her hands…

And slaps both of Yuzu's cheeks.

"Kyah!" Yuzu yelps, both from the sudden movement near her face and the sudden stinging. She glares at Rin, tears in the corner of her eyes. "What are you doing?!"

"I said so before, didn't I? I'd be here to smack some sense into you."

"That hurt!"

"It's supposed to."

"What's with that? There's no way hitting someone would be beneficial!"

Then, Rin smiles. "You feeling better now?"

Yuzu blinks. And noticed, for the first time since she'd left the group and waited for her duel to start, that there had been a weight on her shoulders. That was now gone.

"It's good to get a change of pace, but when that isn't possible, a whack can do the trick," Rin says as she removes her hands from Yuzu's face.

Yuzu nods, feeling almost dazed. Somehow her brain decides to focus on how Rin's fingers felt a bit colder than normal. She lifts her own hands up to touch the red, stinging skin of her cheeks. She felt... lighter.

"Thank you, Rin."

The girl just shrugs her shoulder. "Just go out and win. Show me the duelist I know Hiiragi Yuzu can be."

"...Oh." Rin believed in her. It was clear when she looked into her eyes, she fully believed she could do this. A smile was on her face, confident and reassuring and Yuzu felt like she could win the whole tournament so long as Rin kept looking at her like that. Suddenly, the lingering cold from Rin's fingers was gone and her cheeks were red from something other than the girls slapping.

Yuzu forms her hands into fists and nods sharply. "I'll do it! I'll show everyone how You Show and Hiiragi Yuzu duels!"

Rin smiles, and nods. Then, a voice calls Yuzu's name, telling her the duel is about to start.

"Then, I'll be going back to the stands," Rin says. "Good luck."

"Yeah. Hurry back, so you don't miss anything."

Rin laughs, even as Yuzu turns to run down the corridor and outside to the field. She turns to make her way back to the stands, pace brisk.

"Obviously."

* * *

Yugo let out an excited sound as he stepped through the doorway.

"Woooaahhh!" He runs out a couple of steps on the terrace arms spread wide. "It's the sky!"

The wind plays with his hair and hoodie, caressing his face as he grinned wide enough for his cheeks to hurt. He was surrounded by blue, he could see the sky wherever he looked, neck starting to hurt when he looked up, up and almost bending backwards. There was barely a cloud out, the sun shining down warmly on him, like a greeting after being kept inside for so long.

 _/Are you having fun, Yugo?\_

He could almost see Yuya smiling as he hears his voice, and it makes Yugo's grin widen somehow.

 _~Yeah! The sky is all around me and the wind feels so nice! The sun too!~_

 _{You sound like a child.}_

 _/It's fine, isn't it? You gotta act like a child sometimes!\_

Yuri doesn't even sound that bothered, only amused.

He couldn't help but skip in place, hopping and spinning in his attempt to see the whole sea of blue above him at once.

Then he caught sight of the tall figure in white, standing silently next to the now closed doors, looking at him.

Yugo froze, stumbling from his sudden stop and dizziness from his spinning. He'd forgotten the man was even there. Slowly, he lowered his arms, smoothing out his sweatshirt with jittery fingers. He smiled in embarrassment, eyes flitting between the ground and Jack. "U-um… sorry?"

The King stays silent, only letting out a small 'hm', and walks over to stand by the railing, looking out over the buildings. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"Oh… okay," he says, fidgeting, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

Jack looks back and nods to the space next to him. Yugo hurries over, boots making tip-tap sounds on the stone tiles. The familiar fit was nice to have after being barefoot for so long. He grabs hold of the railing, glancing up at Jack nervously.

Then he notices the view stretching out before them, and all self-consciousness promptly left him again.

"So high!" he says excitedly, leaning against the railing with his whole body, hefting himself up to lean his stomach against it. "Waaaah…"

The city was far below them, people walking down below nothing more than specks on the ground. D-Wheels zipped by on the streets like trails of light, and it made him itch and long to ride as well. The sun casts light on the glass that almost every building had on it, making them shimmer.

And then, of to the left of where they stood, the buildings thinned out, and ended. Then, an endless blue stretched on and on, all the way until it reached the horizon and finally met the ocean.

 _~I've never been so high up before… it's so….~_

 _[Overwhelming?]_

 _~Yeah! It's so pretty, and cool, and just… so much to look at!~_

 _[It makes everything seem a bit further away. It's comforting.]_

 _~Hmm….~_

 _[Yugo?]_

Yugo leaned out over the railing, balancing on the edge and trying to stretch himself somehow to see more and more. He swayed slightly, legs kicking behind him as they hovered above the floor.

 _~That sounds accurate, and it's very nice… but I like it better when you guys are here. And it would be better if you'd be here too, so we'd be further away together.~_

That thought was nice. Even if only for a little while, to be able to sit and talk with them with no interruptions or things looming over them. He smiles happily, not noticing how the others have grown quiet and a bit flustered.

Then something grabbed ahold of his hood and pulled him back. He stumbled onto his feet with an oof, blinking in confusion at his sudden change of gravity.

"Don't fall off," Jack says, letting go off his hood once he was steady on his feet, and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Ehehe," Yugo laughs, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, got a bit excited."

Jack's face doesn't change, but Yugo thought he might have seen a flicker of a smile on his face.

"Yugo."

He looks up. Jack looked more serious than before, eyes narrowed just a smidge.

"Why were you held captive by Security?"

Yugo chews on his bottom lip. How much should he tell? Would Jack even believe him? It was kind of an unbelievable story, most wouldn't believe him. But something in him says Jack would believe him. But still…

He ends up asking the others for advice.

 _{It's your choice. But I'd say to at least refrain from talking about us and our connection.}_

 _[We don't know him, so I can't judge very well. Just be careful.]_

 _/I think it's up to you, Yugo, how much you want to trust him.\_

So Yugo, after some thinking, takes a breath, let's it out, and starts talking.


	25. Trembles

Even in the deserted corridors of the stadium, the noise of the audience and the ongoing duel could be heard, echoing down the halls. The crowd was so captured, so excited by the duel happening in the area, that no one even glanced at the numerous entrances into the big area.

Thus, no one saw the figure standing near the opening of one of them, cloaked and further hidden by the shadows.

Yuto knew he'd said to Shun and Ruri he would watch from the monitors, a safe distance away. But he couldn't help but to come and watch in person, especially when Yuya was dueling.

Today, it was even more of a spectacle. Much like the audience, Yuto found it hard to pull his eyes away. Maybe it had something to do with his opponent, who seemed as into it as Yuya was. They were evenly matched, and it was the first time Yuya ever properly fought against someone else with Pendulum cards.

 _{You'd think both of you were dueling right now.}_

 _[What do you mean?]_

 _~You're really happy right now, Yuto. It's weird.~_

Maybe in another world, he'd be annoyed by that. But Yuto knew neither of them meant anything ill with their words.

 _[I guess I'm just…]_

Even this far away, Yuto could just about make out Yuya's smile, helped by the joy flowing out of his end like a sparkler. He was having fun, from the bottom of his heart, thrilled by the challenge and by the excitement from the crowd around them.

 _[I'm just thinking about the happiness we had before. In Heartland.]_

Even when Yuya Fusion summons and his jaw clenches instinctively, it doesn't last. Yuya's Fusion summoning is nothing like the ones of Academia's. It's brightness less menacing and more radiant, the aura gentler, even as the beast of a dragon emerges from it's circling depths.

 _[Somehow, it sets my soul at ease.]_

He's smiling, Yuto realises. He probably has been for a while without realising it.

 _~Yuya's winning, right?~_

 _[Just dealt the finishing blow.]_

Yuto can almost feel Yugo grinning at the news, and he finds himself wishing to know what it looked like. Yuri is joyously pleased, and it's an odd combination that Yuto was itching to put a matching expression to.

He watches as Yuya walks back to the stands. _[Great duel, Yuya.]_

Yuya pauses, head snapping up. _/Yuto?\_

 _[Don't look for me, I'm not supposed to be here.]_

A joyous smile forms on Yuya's face even as he keeps walking back to his seat. _/Were you watching?\_

 _[Yeah. I wanted to come.]_

 _~Listen, Yuya, this guy was saying stuff like 'Yuya's duel set my heart at peace', isn't that amazing?~_

Yuya trips over his feet and stumbles as Yuto almost gives himself away as he gives a surprised but cut off sound out-loud.

 _/Huh?\_

 _[Yugo!]_ he hisses, backing further down the hallway. _[You don't need to tell him that!]_

 _~Eeehh? But it was so moving!~_

 _{Really, even I was touched. You shouldn't keep such praise to yourself, Yuto.}_

 _[You two…]_

Yuya laughs awkwardly but Yuto could tell he was happy and his face starts to burn a little from embarrassment.

 _[I swear I'm gonna kill you both one day.]_

 _{Oh, didn't you go there just to see Yuya duel? No need to be shy, you're plenty corny already.}_

 _[Shut up.]_

Yugo laughs over their link and even in his annoyance, it's a pleasing sound to hear. It's gone back to its bright tone again that he didn't even know he'd notice or miss until it dimmed.

 _[Actually, I'm here for another reason.]_

 _/What is it?\_

Yuto was about to answer when the names of the next duelists are announced.

" **Following up are the third duel of the day! Between You Show's Shiunin Sora and LDS' Kurosaki Shun!"**

Yuto swallows, carefully stepping closer once again to the opening to see out to the field. He sees Shun's familiar figure down there, face kept carefully blank except for his frown.

 _/Isn't Kurosaki Shun…\_

 _[My best friend. I don't know why, but… I have a bad feeling. I had to watch in person.]_

Yuya seems to understand and doesn't say anything more.

Yuto hoped he was wrong. God, he really did. If something happened to Shun, he didn't know what he'd do.

But Shun was strong. Calling him a one-man army wouldn't be inaccurate, he'd definitely be fine.

" **The field is… Future City Heartland!"**

Yuto freezes.

"…Heartland?"

* * *

"What is this?!"

Ruri flies up from her chair, almost flying to the edge of the balcony she was sitting in to watch the duels.

' _Why? Why Heartland? Why in this duel of all ones, and of all possible fields?'_

She watches as the field lights up, obscuring the two figures down there. Then the light fades and it takes shape. Buildings in not quite the same yet familiar shape appear from glittering sparkles, the sky turns to night, yet it doesn't turn dark. For it's lit up by hundreds, thousands of colourful lights, making even the night feel lively and soothing, yet exciting.

And as Ruri stares, taking in the buildings and lights and roads and the tower that isn't quite Heartland Tower, yet has almost the same shape, just like everything else, she feels as if she could burst into tears. She has to grip her hand over her mouth and clench her jaw and even then, her eyes start to sting.

Her eyes gravitate to her brother, who stands in the not quite right replica of their destroyed home with a fist clenched in front of him, and her heart feels like it cracks.

It's bad enough to stand here, away from it all and gazing down.

Shun was standing right in the middle of this heart-wrenchingly familiar sight. About to duel a spy from Academia.

' _Nii-san…'_

Ruri wanted to look away. She didn't want to see what she knew, deep down, was going to happen.

But she refused. She would not look away from this. She would not leave her brother alone, even if she could not be down there next to him.

* * *

"Yuya, is something wrong?"

Yuzu is giving him a concerned look next to him.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine."

He gives her a reassuring smile and it seems to placate her, turning back to the field below.

Yuya can't quite concentrate though. He can't help but glance around, hoping to catch a look, even a glimpse, of a black cloak or spiky violet hair.

Yuto feels… panicked, almost. Distressed to the point that he doesn't answer to them trying to talk to him. He's been like that since the action field was announced, but…

Future City Heartland.

Heartland.

Yuya could have slapped himself for being so slow.

 _/Yuto, is this your Heartland?\_

It's quiet as Yuto tries to collect himself. Outside his head, everyone is looking in awe at the action field, voices of wonder filling the stands over the colourful and dazzling city.

 _[...It's close enough.]_

* * *

When the duel started, he hoped. Hoped, despite himself, that it would go well, as well as it could go. At first, it looked like it might be. The Fusion user was obviously not taking it seriously in the beginning, not even considering the possibility of losing. And as their composure cracked more, the city cracked right along with him.

Yuto sucks in a breath. Did it smell like ash and debris or was his mind playing tricks on him? He fumbles to pull out his mask, fingers thankfully steady as they set it in place and fasten the clasp. His shoulders lower at the familiar feeling of the mask sitting protectively over his mouth and nose. Feeling a little calmer, he looks out to the arena again.

It was a battlefield. Buildings were destroyed, smoke slowly rising into the air and any pretense of this being entertainment dueling was gone with it.

He wondered how Ruri was doing. Was she watching? Of course she was, it was her brother dueling right now, she wouldn't look away from this.

The city is burning. A fire started, and Yuto can just make out Shun's expression from here. It's pulled tight as explosions go off around him, flames rage and buildings crumble.

He shouldn't be down there. Not alone, he could get killed, carded, gone forever-

No! Yuto shook his head hard. Shun was strong, he hadn't budged an inch, didn't look like he was in trouble. Yuto could almost picture how the rest the duel would go, and Shun would win.

It was still so, so hard to watch this phantom of his home destroyed for a second time.

The images almost layered over each other, what he was seeing now in front of him and what had been burned into his mind. The shocked shouts from the audience and the crying children seemed to blend together with the screams of terror of people being carded around him, shouting for help in the distance and he couldn't get to them couldn't _help he could only save them_ -

"Yuto!"

His eyes fly open(when had he closed them?) and he sucks in a breath, suddenly realising his lungs were burning, demanding air. It was harder than it should be with his mask.

Then, hands were touching the side of his face, fingers fiddling with a clasp they weren't used to, and the mask fell away. Yuto gasps, half-collapsing against the wall next to him for support.

He looks up, and pauses as, instead of the burning field, he sees a mess of red and green and orange and white. Nevertheless, it was a familiar sight.

"Y-Yuya…?"

Yuya is standing in front of him, face filled with overwhelming worry and concern, mask clenched in one hand. He takes ahold of his shoulder, grip firm but not painful, just enough to help Yuto pull himself back to reality.

"Are you okay? You stopped responding to us and-"

Yuya stops, trying to control his own breathing. Did he run all the way? His seat was quite far from here.

"Why are you here?" he coughs, standing up straight again. His legs feel like jelly. "What if someone sees us? Or your friends wonder where you are?"

Yuya actually looks angry over his words, frowning and teeth clenching. "Don't be stupid! When I heard and felt how bad you were getting, of course I'd run and come to you!"

Some anger lifts away, red eyes turning a bit sad. "You think I'd let you suffer alone when I'm actually within reach for once?"

Yuto's eyes widen. Slowly, he reaches a hand up to clasp the one still holding onto his shoulder. He grips it tightly, biting down on his lip to hold back the sudden wave of emotions rushing forward. He hangs his head, forehead meeting Yuya's white jacket and shoulder and just… stays there for a moment. A hand reaches to rest against his head, fingers carefully running through the strands in a soothing way while Yuto focuses on his breathing and the fingers in his hair.

After he's calmed down, Yuto raises his head again, breathing out deeply. "I'm sorry. Thank you, for coming."

Yuya smiles, eyes looking a little moist, but no tears have fallen. They jump as another loud explosion goes off behind Yuya in the field.

Yuya steps to the side so Yuto can see outside again, their still joined hands sliding down to hang between them. Light spills from the field as Sora special summons again, a giant jack-o-box of his previous Fusion monsters' heads appearing and looming over the audience.

Yuya grips onto Yuto's hand in what seems to be more for his own comfort than Yuto's. He looks at the duel below like he can't believe what he's seeing.

Yuto realises, belatedly, that even though they've talked about the war, seeing it was a whole other thing. Yuya had never seen, been thoroughly shown, what Academia and their ways was like, what fighting against them entailed. Yuto and his comrades had been in this fight for years. Yuya was now seeing it for the first time.

"This is wrong," Yuya says, voice shaky and sounding close to cracking. "The dueling I believe in... it's to make people happy. Make them _smile._ It shouldn't be used… used like _this_."

Yuto's jaw clenches. Yet all he could do was hold Yuya's shaking hand tighter as the duel continues, the audience both cheering on the violence and being horrified by it.

"I know, Yuya," he says, voice barely legible over the noise. "I know."

It felt like ages before it finally ended. Yuya screamed out the Fusion boys name in fear as a building started to fall on him while he was distracted by an Action Card.

The field lit up once again as the Solid Vision disappeared, leaving Shun standing and the boy on the ground, but not unconscious.

Yuto could see Yuya's worry on his face, looking like he wanted to run down there himself.

"I know he's an enemy, but…" Yuya says, looking conflicted and worried. "He's still my friend. I want to believe he's not all bad."

' _He won't listen to you. Academia duelists are entirely devoted to their mission. Some have carded themselves over being done in by us or to make sure no information leaks out. He doesn't see you as a friend, he will betray you the first chance he gets, it's dangerous to keep thinking of him as someone you can trust.'_

Yuto thinks all this, but can't bring himself to make his lips move and say it out loud.

Instead, Yuto looked down at Shun, trying to see from this distance if he was injured, if he had gotten hurt while Yuto had been out of it and not watching. But he looked fine, he wasn't leaning his weight oddly, his expression wasn't as tense as usual, more blank, his hands clenched tightly at his sides…

Oh. Oh no, that wasn't normal Shun.

"I have to go," he says quickly, breath suddenly lacking in his lungs again. Yuya whirls back on him with wide eyes from where he had been looking down at the field. Yuya opens his mouth as if to say something, then seems to change his mind when their eyes meet and closes it. He's backing away already, small steps, yet their hands are still clasped together as if reluctant to separate.

"Okay," Yuya says instead, still not letting go, if anything gripping tighter. "I'm gonna go check on Sora. Make sure he's okay."

Yuto bites back the ridiculous irritation that rose in his chest at the words. "Be careful. We don't know what he will do once he wakes up, now that he's lost."

Yuya nods once, brow furrowed. "I will. You be careful too, Yuto."

He smiles and grips Yuya's hand tightly, their arms almost stretched out between them now. Then, at once, they let go, fingers slipping out of each others grasp as they turn to run to where they're needed.

The warmth from their previously held hands weaken, but doesn't completely disappear.

* * *

A figure walks through the corridor connecting the LDS building and the stadium, steps echoing through the empty halls. They stumble, half-collapsing against the wall, arm raised against it in an attempt to keep themself upright.

New, hurried footsteps rapidly approach.

"Nii-san!" Ruri cries, hands shooting out to hold him steady. When she looks at him, his face is flat, eyes scarily blank and barely even seeing her, and Ruri wants to cry.

"Can you walk?" she asks instead, moving to support him with her weight. It was awkward with their difference in height, but they managed, Ruri carefully maneuvering Shun and helping him walk down the halls until they reach an elevator.

Somehow, they reach a room with couches that Ruri nudges her brother towards. He collapses on them like his legs had reached their limit for keeping him standing. He's still staring blankly, breathing so quietly you had to strain to hear them. Ruri sits down in front of him on the low table, taking hold of one of his hands. They're cold as ice in her own.

"Nii-san, the duel is over. You're not out there anymore. Can you look at me? Please?" her voice is almost pleading, desperately wanting the gold eyes to properly look at her and not keep staring at nothing.

They seem to gain back some focus, blinking rapidly a few times. Shun jolts in place, then look at her. His voice sounds hoarse when he finally talks. "R...Ruri?"

Ruri nods, tears stinging her eyes that she refused to let fall. Shun seems frozen in place, but then his breathing starts getting quicker, the walls carefully and rigorously put in place starting to fall away. He starts shaking, shoulders hunching in tightly and fingers digging into his face, other still held tightly in Ruri's own.

"I- I destroyed-"

"You did _not_ ," Ruri says, voice firm and keeping it low. "That was not our Heartland. You did _not_ choose to do that. You wouldn't if you'd had a choice."

Shun grits his teeth so hard she's afraid they'll crack. He's trying his best to breath hard through his nose, body wound so tight he looked like he could snap from a light tap.

His hand moves to clamp over his mouth as a gagging sound escapes and Ruri rushes to snatch up a trash can and hold it out to him. He grabs hold of it with white-knuckled fingers and empties his stomach with a loud retch.

All Ruri can do is stand next to him and rub his shoulder. She looks up sharply when the sound of footsteps come closer, heading towards them. She leans protectively over the body of her brother, still hunched over.

They slide to a halt in the doorframe, black swirling around them and a flash of violet registers, and she relaxes immediately.

"Yuto," she says with a tired smile.

He's breathing heavily, like he had run a marathon to get here. Gray eyes quickly focus in on them and he's walking over, struggling to keep his pace slow.

"Shun," he says, voice soft and worried, hand grasping his arm. Gold eyes flick over to him over the edge of the trash can, still hazy looking, but their owner relaxes slightly when they register who it is. Ruri sits down heavily on the coffee table again, feeling drained.

"Sorry," Shun says quietly through a cough, wiping his mouth and setting aside the trash can. Yuto glance around, spotting a water cooler against the wall and gets up.

"Don't apologize," she quickly says, voice sharp. She grabs one of his hands again, relief flashing through her as she finds they've regained some of their warmth, even if they're still shaking slightly. "It's not your fault."

Shun grips her hand almost tight enough to hurt, as if to will his hands to stop trembling along with the rest of him. He looks frustrated, angry, yet so tired. Ruri isn't used to seeing her brother tired, even when he was surely running on fumes he was fervent and heated.

Yuto comes back with a plastic cup of water, giving it to Shun before sitting down next to him on the couch. The cup shakes a little in his hand, Shun glaring at it as he decides to hold it with both hands instead of risk spilling it all over his lap.

"Drink slowly," Yuto says automatically. Shun grunts in response, but takes small gulps of the cool water. "You okay?"

Shun finishes drinking and lowers the cup to rest on his leg before he answers. "Been better, but I'll live."

"You always say that," Ruri says, a small smile on her face and eyes wet. The corner of Yuto's mouth quirks up.

Shun huffs, his normal frown back on his face. He looks them over. "How about you two?"

Ruri draws in a breath, mind flashing back to where just a while ago she was leaned over the railing with tears rolling down her face. She'd sprinted from her place as soon as the duel had ended, wiping away any wetness still sticking to her face as she went.

"Been better," she repeats. "But better than you, I think."

"Same here," Yuto sighs.

Ruri looks at him, then tilts her head, wondering what was nagging her in the back of her head about Yuto. Something not quite right…

And as if a lightbulb went off above her head, she realised what it was. "Yuto, where's your mask?"

Gray eyes blinked at her, fingers reaching up as if to check it was, in fact, bare. Shun looked at his friend as well as he also noticed his near-always present mask was missing.

"Oh," Yuto says in realisation as he remembers when he'd last taken it off. "I think Yuya still has it."

Ruri and Shun's eyes both widened. Ruri asks, "You two met?"

"Yeah, he…" Yuto looks away, looking almost bashful. "I kinda… slipped off a bit, during the duel. Yuya ran over when I wouldn't respond."

"And he… took off your mask?" Ruri asked carefully.

"Yeah," he says, gaze drifting to the floor for a moment before looking at them again. Only to find Ruri smothering a grin and Shun with a raised brow and looking slightly amused.

It took him a good few seconds before it clicked and he realised what the situation sounded like without context.

"It's not-! Nothing like that happened!" he quickly says, heat rushing to his cheeks.

"What didn't happen?" Ruri asks, a teasing laugh in her voice. "We didn't say anything~"

Shun snorts at the mortified look on Yuto's face. He looks away and crosses his arms, back completely straight.

"Haha, very funny."

Ruri titters and Shun is hiding his mouth behind his hand. Even though he felt embarrassed, Yuto was glad the atmosphere had lightened compared to before.

"Shun, why don't you go rest?" Yuto says, seeing how his shoulders are drooping and his eyelids look heavy.

Shun looks like he's about to protest, but Ruri cuts in before he can say anything, standing up. "Rest. Now. We've got rooms for a reason."

She looks down hesitantly but hopefully at Yuto. "Are you coming with? I doubt Reiji won't know you're here now."

"You'd be correct in that assessment."

At once, they all freeze and whirl to the source of the voice.

Akaba Reiji stands at the other entrance to the room, face blank as he gazes at them. They hadn't heard him come in. Either his steps were that quiet or they were so absorbed in their conversation they didn't notice.

"What are you doing here?" Shun says, angry and untrusting expression back on his face.

"This building belongs to my company. And when there is an unknown intruder…" his unreadable eyes fall on Yuto, who stands up straighter, "...it's only proper I investigate."

Shun snorts in disbelief. "As if you don't have guards to do that."

Whatever Reiji was about to say, if anything, is cut off before he can even open his mouth, as Ruri steps forward, fire in her eyes and hands clenched.

"How _dare_ you."

The young president pauses, eyes moving to focus on the girl in front of him.

"How _dare_ you let my brother duel in that replica of Heartland. Against a _Fusion soldier_ of all things?" Ruri's voice is outwardly calm, yet there is an underlying fury, like the distant sound of beating wings.

Even with her back to them, Yuto can tell Ruri's face is just shy from a snarl. He can picture it easily, when she gets really angry she always makes a similar face to Shun when he's angry. Just more drawn back, silently furious, and he didn't know which one was more intimidating.

Reiji pushes up his glasses with a lone finger. "It was for the sake of drawing out the spy that the field was chosen. You could say to light Kurosaki's fighting spirit."

Yuto's jaw drops, eyes widening, then he has to hold himself back from screaming. He can feel how his eyes darken as he glares pure murder at the one nonchalantly saying such things with ease. Shun has tensed next to him, frown turning darker, eyes averting. Ashamed. Yuto can feel a sparking hot rage start to curl in his chest. He takes a step forward, standing in front of his best friend.

Ruri herself seems to be holding herself back from slugging him from how hard her fists are clenched and how her shoulders are shaking. Magenta eyes flick up to meet purple ones, so sharp you could cut yourself on them.

"I just had to help my brother keep himself from having a _panic attack_ because of you, so if you can't bring me a better _fucking_ excuse than that, so help me…!"

Reiji's eyes widen a smidge behind his red glasses, the first proper change in his face since he arrived.

"If you want our help, our _assistance_ , then the least you can do is not antagonize us or use us for your own means without telling us a word. Trust goes both ways, and I've just lost every ounce of respect I might have had for you."

Reiji stays quite as Ruri talks, words spit out like angry bird song. It's quiet and tense when she finishes, neither party willing to back down or break eye contact.

Then, Reiji closes his eyes, and lowers his head, just a smidge.

"Part of the reason was to give the duelists and citizens, and myself included, a real look at the war going on outside our current viewpoint." The words are spoken in the same tone as before, but his voice is not as commanding as before. "For as much as I can prepare, no one can teach experience. As much as I know, I do not know your struggle."

Ruri looks at him with considering eyes, dubiousness still lingering. Yuto glance down at Shun, surprised he hasn't said anything yet. He looks like he wants to, but is holding himself back. Exhaustion lingers on him, mostly seen in his face, back straight and shoulders squared, as if prepared to sprint into action at any moment.

"However, it does appear my method was a bit... heavyhanded, it seems." Yuto bites back the sarcastic _'a bit late for that'_ , seeing he still has more to say. "For that, I apologize."

Yuto wants to respond, with all the sparks in his chest spewing out of his mouth, that it's _not enough, the damage is done, you hurt Shun-_

He swallows it back. He hasn't been here, doesn't know this person except for what others have told him. It's up to Shun and Ruri, and Ruri is always the one making the call in situations like this when she's allowed, when it's the three of them.

Ruri swallows, staring at Reiji, trying to tell if he's lying or not. But it's impossible to know, his expression too blank.

She won't forgive this, that much she knows. Yuto won't either.

But…

She sighs heavily, suddenly feeling very tired.

"I would say 'I accept your apology, but I don't forgive you', however," she looks back to the sofa. "It's not me you should apologize to, and I'm not the one to make that call."

Shun looks shocked, then frowns again when Reiji looks at him.

But the president simply tilts his head again. "My apologies, Kurosaki."

Shun stares at him dubiously for a long while. Then, he too sighs, and gets up, wobbling slightly on his shaky legs and Yuto reaches out an arm to help keep him steady.

"Save them for after we've survived."

With that, he turns to walk away, Ruri following after him. Yuto hesitates but follows after both Kurosaki's glance back at him. Shun doesn't walk as steadily as he usually does and Ruri walks at a good enough distance to support him if he stumbles.

Yuto pauses at the entrance, looking back at Akaba Reiji, looking silently at them. Purple meets gray in a silent stare-off. The other had questions for him, no doubt. Perhaps even thinking of the other boy living in this world who looked like him.

Yuto inclines his head. "I'll answer your questions, after Shun is better. I'll be intruding on you for a while."

Reiji simply blinks at him, as if to make up for any kind of surprise with that small act alone.

"Tomorrow then," he says, turning around, long scarf swirling behind him.

Yuto doesn't watch him walk away, moving to catch up with Shun and Ruri, who had paused up ahead to wait for him.

He could think about Akaba Reiji later.

And remember to get his mask back from Yuya, somehow.

* * *

...*coughs*

So yeah, I always wondered on the possibility of Shun having a much stronger reaction to suddenly fighting and academia soldier who keeps using Fusion summons in a replica of his destroyed hometown. Can't be nice for your mind.

Also, I have no experience with panic attacks. If I got anything wrong, or made a serious error, I'm sorry. If you feel it's a really pressing one, feel free to correct me and I'll change it.


	26. Bond

*jazz hands* ~Early chapter~

Yeah, basically I was left unsatisfied with how the last chapter ended up and also being very excited to share this and the upcoming part, coupled with a frustration over how slow we're going(don't worry lads, I know, but I can't help myself, hope you'll all still bear with me c,:).

End result, I was very pumped to work on this and got it started on and finished earlier than usual, and now here we are.

Hope it's enjoyable!

/Yuya\

[Yuto]

~Yugo~

{Yuri}

* * *

 _ **A circle traced in the sky, a sphere reflecting instinct**_

 _ **Without saying a word, it only turns gently**_

 _ **A circle traced in cosmos, a sphere reflecting reason**_

 _ **Without hearing a thing, it only turns gently**_

* * *

Yuya sighs. He felt tired. Mom and Shuzo had just left to bring the kids home, leaving him, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Rin waiting at LDS where Sora was being treated.

Today had been… so much. Watching that duel, Sora getting badly injured and...

Yuto freezing up and just not responding to them had been frightening. There had been so much going on with Kurosaki and Sora's duel, that Yuto drifting off and just feeling… _awful,_ even with Yugo and Yuri trying to reach him and failing, that he'd finally snapped.

Yuya doesn't quite remember what he said as an excuse to the others when he flew away from his spot at the railing and raced through the stands. He didn't know where he was going, yet his feet still lead him to where he needed to be, right to Yuto.

 _/Are you okay now, Yuto?\_

 _[Yeah, thanks to you.]_

Yuya fights back a smile. _/No need to say thanks. Anyway, what are you going to do now? Akaba Reiji has found out about you, right?\_

 _[Yeah. It seems we'll talk tomorrow. For now, I'm staying with Ruri and Shun.]_

 _/How is he? Your friend, Shun.\_

 _[Better. He's resting right now, and Ruri's with him. I'm mostly wandering close by.]_

 _{Are you actually trying to be suspicious?}_

 _~Nah man, that's just how Yuto is. At times I wonder if he actually has legs and isn't just floating everywhere with how he's always drifting around.~_

 _[Of course I have legs.]_

 _/Can affirm, Yuto does possess a pair of legs.\_

 _~Okay but, are they proper legs? Like does he have feet that touch the ground?~_

 _{Hm, excellent question. Just because you have legs doesn't mean you have feet.}_

 _[Oh my god.]_

 _~Your avoidance of the question only raises more suspicion!~_

 _[That the biggest words you've used this week?]_

 _~Hey!~_

Yuya has to muffle a laugh by tightly clamping a hand over his mouth. This was seriously not the time to laugh.

But he felt a bit better somehow.

"You're lucky your friends aren't watching right now."

Yuya looks over next to him. Rin is giving him an unimpressed side-eyed look, as they both stand under the roof at the entrance to LDS. Yuzu and Gongenzaka are down by the street at the car, with mom and Shuzo and the kids.

Yuya smiles sheepishly, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry. Had a conversation over if Yuto had legs or not."

Rin stares, blinking slowly. Then she lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes her head. "I don't even want to know."

Yuya chuckles. He looks down at the others by the street, hesitating for a moment before he says. "Yugo's doing well."

He can see from the corner of his eye how Rin tenses up, the motion barely noticeable. Her voice has a faint tremor in it when she speaks. "Is he?"

"Yeah," he answers as casually as he can. "Yesterday, he talked about how easy it is to get lost in Jack Atlas' place and how all the corridors look the same."

Rin laughs under her breath, shoulders relaxing a bit. "Right, he's living with the Duel King, lucky little shit."

Her voice sounds more teasing than serious. But there's a tone of relief there, and it makes Yuya smile too. Talking about Yugo with Rin is a bit shaky, but Yuya still wants to make sure she knows he's doing okay, and the same in reverse.

"And Rin?" She looks at him curiously. He gestures to where Yuzu and Gongenzaka are. "They're your friends too."

She jolts to a still, before she looks away and to the ground, chewing on her lower lip. He could spot the ghost of a hesitant smile on her face.

"You really should tell them soon," she says, changing the subject. "After today, they're both gonna have questions."

Yuya frowns, looking down as Yuzu and Gongenzaka turn to walk back to them as Yoko and Shuzo drive away to get the kids home. He swallows nervously. Why was he nervous? He couldn't imagine Yuzu and Gongenzaka would suddenly hate him or think he was crazy.

Maybe because his problems had always been shared with and between them. But this, this one thing, was only his, his to treasure and think about. Not for them to worry about.

It was a bit selfish, maybe even a lot. But after spending so long having people talk about dad, whether he wanted them to or not, usually negatively or drawing comparisons, he wanted to keep it to himself for as long as he could. Even long after he should have told them.

Yuya draws in a deep breath, counts to three, then lets it out in a big whoosh. "Alright. Let's do it."

Rin looks at him in surprise. "Wait, right now?"

"Yeah," Yuya says shortly before smiling as Yuzu and Gongenzaka come back. "Everything alright?"

Yuzu nods once, face downcast. "Dad and Yoko said to wait here until they're back, to keep an eye on Sora..."

"I see…"

Rin casts a glance at Yuya, then to Yuzu and Gongenzaka. She turns on her heel to step away from the group and closer to the glass doors behind them. Yuzu gives her a questioning look. "Rin?"

She doesn't turn around, opting to speak over her shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on the squirt, so you three can go and have a talk."

All three look at her in confusion, before Yuya's eyes widen in realisation as he catches on to what the girl is doing. He frowns and quickly steps forward to grab ahold of her arm and pull her back, making Rin let out a yelp. "Ooh no, you don't! You're part of this too!"

"Not your thing!" Rin glares at Yuya over her shoulder, almost making him cower, but he manages to stand his ground.

"I'm not telling your story for you!" Yuya responds, not letting go as he tries to drag her back to their little circle, but her struggling and digging her heels into the ground make it difficult.

"We can talk about that later!"

"You were the one who said we had to talk about it soon!"

"Yes, _you!_ Not me! My business can wait!" Rin says loudly, giving a strong tug in an attempt to loosen Yuya's grip.

"Yours is important too!" Yuya says stubbornly in response, tugging hard and making Rin stumble.

A familiar clanking fills Yuya's ears before a big, strong grip pushes him back. Gongenzaka steps between them, one hand on each of their shoulders and keeping them apart with ease, expression stern. "Cut it out, you two!"

Yuzu steps up between them as well, looking both concerned and exasperated. "What's wrong suddenly, Yuya, Rin? What are you talking about?"

Yuya and Rin stare at each other stubbornly, unwilling to back down. Yuya might be stubborn, but Rin could outmatch anyone he'd ever met, but he was determined to not back down on this.

Yet somehow, she cracked first. But he couldn't feel that victorious, not when the composed look in her eyes seems to crack, face twisting up as a look of near heartbreak slip through. She averts her eyes quickly before anyone can get a good look, hand covering her mouth.

"Shit…" she whispers under her breath, voice muffled behind her fingers. "Goddamnit...!"

They look on in silence, unsure of what to do or even say. Yuzu looks like she's holding herself back from comforting the other girl, hand hovering uncertainly in the air and eyes filled with concern. Gongenzaka is frowning, worry set deep in his face but looking a bit lost.

In the end, it's Rin who ends up breaking the silence first.

"Fine, fine!" she grumbles irritably, looking up. She looks like her edges have been torn at, but still managing to hold them together. She looks at Yuya. "Go on then, I'll take over when it's my turn."

Yuya slumps. He doesn't know what he did, and he feels terrible, but he nods gratefully all the same.

"Yuzu, Gongenzaka," he says, their confused gazes turning from Rin to him. "I've got something very important to tell you about."

It's silent. Not even the wind could be heard, no cars were out close to this area at this time. Yuya feels the urge to fidget under his two best friends wide-eyed stares. Rin is silent next to him, waiting for a reaction.

"So, if I got what you said right," Gongenzaka says, starting to rattle off on his fingers, "There are other worlds aside from this one, based on summoning methods."

Here Gongenzaka looks at Yuya as if to confirm he's getting it right, so Yuya simply nods.

"And the Fusion Dimension, specifically a place called Academia, is invading the Xyz Dimension." A nod. "And Sora and that man called Kurosaki is from both respectively." Another nod. "And you have some kind of… mental connection to three other people from each Dimension."

Yuya nods. "Yuto, Yugo and Yuri."

"Since when?" Yuzu asks, disbelief flickering in her eyes.

Yuya fidgets silently, hesitant to answer. "...Since I was twelve."

Yuzu's eyes widen. "That long? And how did that even happen?"

"We don't know! We all just got a really, really bad headache one day, and then I just… had three more voices in my head. And we became friends."

Yuya can see how Yuzu and Gongenzaka are struggling to believe him. His shoulders slump as his body draws in on itself, his stomach churning unpleasantly.

"I know it sounds unbelievable, like I have some imaginary friends or something, but, they really exist. And they're all really, really important to me."

Yuya didn't want his best friends to think the other three didn't exist, to try and tell him they 'weren't real'. Because they were so important, that he can't imagine not having them chattering in his head, or sitting in peaceful silence with their faint presence and pulsing heartbeats right there if he just focused on them.

"They're real."

Yuya snaps his head up, then realising it wasn't any of the other two who spoke, and looked to his side. Rin is looking evenly at Yuzu and Gongenzaka, who are looking at her in surprise.

Rin crosses her arms over her chest. "My best friend is one of them, and he told me the same thing."

"Rin…" Yuzu says, questioning and confused. She looks at Yuya, who meets her eyes steadily. He didn't know what she was looking for, but he tried pleading with just his gaze for her to believe him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she cracked a smile and nodded once. "...Okay. If you're going that far, and with Rin even backing it up… I'll believe you, Yuya."

Gongenzaka huffs, big arms folded over his chest. "Lying like this isn't like the Yuya I know! I, the man Gongenzaka, believe your words!"

Yuya stares, mouth hanging open. He snaps it closed, a goofy smile he tries to smother forms over his lips. He slumps in relief, feeling like a weight has lifted off him.

"Thank you…" he says, relief and gratitude filling his voice. "Thank you! And... I'm sorry, for not telling either of you sooner."

"Seriously!" Yuzu says, placing her hands on her hips. "For two years, and you never said a thing! This isn't something you just keep to yourself!"

Gongenzaka nods, and Yuya gives them an apologetic look. "Sorry, with how I couldn't really prove it or it not being needed to explain, it never really happened..."

"Well, be sure to keep us in the loop from now on then," Yuzu says, frowning. She glances at Rin. "But… Rin, you said your best friend was one of them, but, if they're from another world..."

Rin nods. "He told me before… I came here."

Yuzu's brow furrow. "Rin?"

She meets the two questioning gazes evenly. "I never did tell you both where I'm from, did I?"

Gongenzaka catches on, looking concerned at his teacher. "Rin-dono… where exactly did you come from?"

Rin breathes out hard out of her nose, running a hand roughly through her green hair. "I'm not from this world at all. I'm actually from the Synchro Dimension, or City to be more specific." Surprised sounds come at her words, but she continues on. "Then one night, and I don't know why, Security was after me and Yugo."

"Yugo?" Yuzu asks, tilting her head. "Fusion?"

Yuya splutters out a short laugh, knowing just how Yugo would react to that. He could almost hear his loud protests in his head.

"No, Yugo," Rin corrects easily and continues. "He's my best friend. We got cornered and… they told me they would let me go free if Yugo came willingly."

Rin's body stiff up, hands curling into fists at her side. She glared at the ground as the memories came back to the forefront. "Yugo said to me he could go with them, but I basically said 'fuck no', and prepared to duel all of them. But then Yugo did… something. I don't know what, but, it sent me here. And left him behind."

A shocked silence fills the air as Rin finally pauses. Her shoulders and back are wrung so tight Yuya worried she'd crack. She draws in a deep breath, almost forcing her body to relax, and looked at Yuya.

"Yugo had told me about all this earlier, so I set out to find one of his 'mind buddies', and you both know the rest."

"Rin…" Yuzu says, looking at her with shock and disbelief, while Gongenzaka's brow is furrowed deep in concern and thought. Rin avoids both their gazes, looking down to the side.

Yuya chews on the inside of his cheek for a moment, before opening his mouth to say something. But voices shouting from inside the LDS building reached them before he could.

"Find him! He couldn't have gone far!"

People in suits were running around, looking frantic. Some came close enough for them to overhear their conversation.

"Contact headquarters! Tell them Shiuin Sora has escaped his hospital room!"

Yuya freezes up.

' _Oh no.'_

* * *

"President!"

Reiji looks up from the screens as Nakajima burst into the office, looking frazzled.

"Shiuin Sora has escaped from the Medical Ward!"

The words make him freeze for a mere second, unnoticeable to anyone else, before calming down. "Where did he head to?"

"He seems to have headed further into the building."

Reiji frowns, teeth grit together. He stands up. "Find out where he is."

The words the Academia soldier had rambled out in a haze after his defeat today rise up to the forefront of his mind as if to taunt him.

" _I can't lose to Xyz…!"_

" _Duel me again...!"_

If he is right in his assumption of the boy's goal…

"Deposit extra security to the rooms where the Xyz duelists are staying, with priority on Kurosaki Shun. Be discreet about it. I will be heading over to the surveillance room myself."

* * *

Sora tears through the dark halls, barely registering his surroundings save for roving his eyes around for anything trying to stop him.

Where was he. Where was Kurosaki.

Sora hadn't lost. He hadn't. If he just got serious, that kind of Xyz scum would be nothing more than dirt under his heel. He just got lucky, Sora had just gotten a bit soft dueling all these other softies for so long, but he could easily shake that off. He'd prove he was the stronger one!

He rounds a corner, eyes narrowing as he can just make out a figure up ahead, almost completely hidden in the dark. They flinch and whirl around, some fabric flowing around them and for a second, Sora wants to grin in triumph, thinking he found his prey-

Sora stops.

"Yuya?"

But no, that couldn't be Yuya. He wouldn't be here, wearing such dark clothing and skulking around these empty halls. Sora narrows his eyes. A memory niggled at his head, of a run-in with two Xyz users at the harbour. His eyes glance down to the duel disk strapped to the boy's arm.

"So you're another one of the Xyz cowards who ran away. Perfect timing, hurry up and call him out!"

"Who are you talking about?" The other says, not budging.

"Don't play dumb! Kurosaki Shun! Our fight isn't finished yet!"

The gray eyes he can barely make out in the dark narrow slightly. "It is finished. You lost."

Sora growls. "I didn't lose! If I just get serious, I'd win easily! Against him, you and that girl too!"

The other glares at him. Then, with a whirl of the long, dark cloak almost hiding him completely, he turns and dashes away.

"Wait!" he shouts, sprinting after him. He glares at the retreating back. Cowards, the lot of them, always running away and not facing him head-on. "I won't let you get away!"

* * *

 _/Yuto? What's happening in there? Sora is missing!\_

 _[Sorry, Yuya, the Fusion spy ran into me.]_

 _/What?!\_

 _[He's after Shun. He wants a rematch, so I'm leading him away.]_

 _/You- are you gonna be alright?\_

 _[Yeah, don't worry. I'm leading him outside.]_

 _/Where to? I'm going too, maybe I can talk him down!\_

 _[...To the park.]_

Yuya skids to a halt and takes a sharp turn down a corner that'll lead him to the park quicker. Good thing he decided on searching around the central park when they all split up to look for Sora.

His breathing was harsher when the trees finally came into view, not stopping his sprint. _/I'm here. Where are you?\_

 _[The outside stage.]_

Yuya can see the dome-like structure of the stage up ahead and a spot of bright blue hair. A duel was happening, and…

He knows the other's decks. They've described their monsters to each other many times before, their dragons even more so. But while Yuya had a picture in his mind of what Yuto's deck looked like, seeing it was another thing. Ghosts and phantoms in heavy dark robes, with eerily glowing heads underneath their hoods, floating near their master. Yuto moves, talking as the two monsters morph into streaks of light and flow into a galaxy.

"From the pitch black, rise up against the foolish oppression, Fang of Rebellion! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Oh…!

Yuya stares as the dark dragon appears, roaring as it lands in front of Yuto. Yuya had never seen it before, but he could make out parts that Yuto had described to them. But his words couldn't have conveyed the ominous and forceful aura it radiated. Even if it's shape was long and slim, the thought it would be easy to face wouldn't even process. And yet, it seemed to almost shield Yuto behind its body, subtly enough you barely noticed it.

Yuya couldn't think of a better fit for Yuto.

And there was a longing in his chest at the sight of the dragon that seemed almost achingly familiar.

Yuya watched in almost a trance as the dragon reared up, and attacked Sora's monster. Lightning wrapped around its wings at it lit up and swooped across the ground, hitting its target with its sharp chin.

Sora's scream as he's flown back harshly breaks him out if it. Yuya runs over. "Sora!"

The boy doesn't even turn to acknowledge him as he stops next to him. "Stay out of this, Yuya! This has nothing to do with you!"

"What are you talking about, Sora?! You're badly injured, you should still be resting!"

"Not until I've beaten him!" Sora says without even looking in Yuya's direction, eyes fixated on the stage. Yuto is standing on it, looking down at them with a blank expression that gave nothing away.

But the voice that speaks in his head is gentle, almost melancholy.

 _[If you want to protect your friend, I won't stop you.]_

Yuya stops, staring wide-eyed at Yuto. His expression doesn't change.

Did… did Yuto think Yuya would pick Sora over him? Yuya couldn't do something like that, he couldn't choose which of his friends to protect over the other.

But if they insisted on fighting…

 _~You should just do what you want to do, right?~_

 _{It's not Yuya if he doesn't, always doing things no one asked him to.}_

Yuya smiles and stands up straight, moving back so they stand in a triangle formation. He takes out his duel disk and slides his deck into place.

 _ **Engaging: Battle Royal Mode**_

"My turn!" Yuya draws, glances at the card in his hand, then moves. "I set the Pendulum Scale with scale 1 Stargazer Magician and scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"

His two magicians rise into the air as the two pillars of light enveloped them. "I can now summon monsters between levels 2 and 7 simultaneously! I special summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

The pendulum in the sky sway, trail of light following it. "Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Odd Eyes descend on the field with a roar. And then, Yuya feels a sudden heat pierce his chest. He wince, hand grasping his shirt over his heart. On the stage, he sees Yuto do the same.

The two dragons stop, and start to roar, energy flowing out around them.

Voices, too disconnected and far-off yet also too loud for him to make any sense of them. And it wasn't any he recognised, yet felt so familiar nonetheless.

 _ **-Alongtime-**_

 _ **-ToolongTooaloneToo-**_

 _ **-Sleepingpeacefullymustbekept-**_

 _ **-MustprotectMustshieldMustreconnectMust-**_

"What-" Yuya stutters, swaying. He feels like he needs to fight to breathe, chest too tight and hot to bring any air into it.

Somehow, he finds Yuto's eyes. Yuya scrambles for his presence, gripping ahold tightly onto his, Yugo's and Yuri's. He can feel them returning it.

And the hot pressure lets up enough for the heat to reduce. And in its wake, left a feeling like his spirit was being protectively embraced.

"I activate Command Performance! All my opponents face-up monsters currently in attack position are changed to defense position! And they cannot switch their battle position until the end of my next turn!"

Sora looks sharply at him in startled anger. "Wha-"

Bright light shines out of the card. Dark Rebellion growls as it cowers from the light, all forced into defense position.

"I set one card and end my turn."

His opponents look at him in surprise, Sora's noticeably more furious. "If you're only gonna get in the way, leave! I can take care of this myself!"

"I'm not gonna fight," Yuya says. He puts his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest. "I'm gonna get as much in the way as is possible until you stop!"

Sora gapes at him in seemingly speechless fury before he almost explodes. "Don't joke around! In battle, this kind of stupid stunt will get you-"

"Puha-"

Yuya looks up in surprise as Sora abruptly cuts himself off and swivels his enraged eyes on the source of the sound.

Yuto was still standing in the same place, but face no longer set in that blank yet serious expression. Instead, his mouth was covered by his hand, face turned away and shoulders looking like they were shaking.

"...Yuto?" Yuya says, feeling lost.

The sound came again, except this time, Yuto turned back to them properly.

And he started to laugh.

It wasn't amused cackling, mocking chuckles or even that loud in volume, but it was still _laughter._ Subdued, quieter than what was normal, but Yuto's eyes were quirked up in joy, small but definitely existing mirthful smile on his lips.

Yuya had never heard it out loud before and he found it was pure music to his ears.

"What… are you laughing about…!" Sora almost growls out, still angry but sounding more confused.

"That's just like you, Yuya," Yuto says, looking at him, smile still present. He turns back to the duel, drawing ar card. "It's my turn. I activate the spell card Emergency Provisions. For every spell and trap card I send to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points. I send two traps to the graveyard."

Yuya watches in shock as Yuto's life points raise by 2000 points.

Gray eyes close. "I end my turn."

"Yuto…" Yuya can't help but smile. Yuto meets his eyes and nods once, smiling. He wasn't going to fight either, he understood.

"Don't joke around…" Sora seethes, fist clenched tightly at his side. "If neither of you is going to take this seriously, I'll teach you just how strong real Fusion summoning is!"

Sora's smile turns cruel and vicious as he moves to Fusion summon from his graveyard. But then, his duel disk gives an error sound.

"Huh, wait!" he shouts, turning panicked, hand grasping at his disk. "Wait, I can't go back yet! Not until I beat that guy!"

Yuya's eyes widen, stepping closer. "Sora!"

 _[Don't get too close, Yuya.]_

 _/Huh?\_

"Until I beat that guy," Sora shouts even as light starts to surround him, "I can't go back to Academia!"

His voice turns echoed at the end as the light from his duel disk swallows him and he disappears in particles of light.

Yuya stares at the empty space Sora had just occupied with wide eyes. "Wha… what just happened?"

"He was forced to return," Yuto says. Yuya looks at him as the other hops down from the stage. "Back to Academia."

"Back- but he's still injured!"

"Academia have doctors, he'll be fine." _[This place has security cameras, we have to watch what we're saying out loud.]_

Yuya frowns. He couldn't help but worry, still. "So, what now?" _/What do we do?\_

"That's up to you, if you still want to fight." _[I should go back to LDS. You too should go back to your friends.]_

"I never wanted to fight to begin with!" _/Already? ...Can't you stay? I told Yuzu and Gongenzaka about you all, and about everything. I… I'd like you to meet them.\_

Yuto's eyes widen, a touched look in his eyes. But he averted them soon enough. _[I don't know if it's a good time… Would they even trust me?]_

 _/I trust you, so they will too.\_

The corner of Yuto's mouth quirks up in a half-smile. Dark Rebellion leans their head down close to the ground and near their master, rumbling in contentment. Yuto's eyes widen in surprise, almost taking a startled step back before stopping himself.

Yuya laughs. "Seems someone else is happy too."

Odd Eyes seem to agree, a thrilling sound making its way from them. Yuya pets the dragon on the head as it leans closer to him, the sounds increasing in volume.

"Yuya!"

Yuya's head snaps up at the familiar sound of Yuzu's voice rings out over the park. Then, the comforting atmosphere breaks as Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion starts growling, hovering protectively over them. "Odd Eyes? What's-"

Yuya's words are cut off as a buzzing noise sharply enters his head, interrupting all other thoughts.

It grew louder.

And louder.

 _And louder._

Yuya didn't know if he screamed or not, he couldn't hear anything over the intruding sound and his high pulse. His fingers gripped tight over his hair and skull as he leaned over, breathing hard. What was happening? What, he didn't understand, did the others-

And it was then, with a gut-wrenching feeling that made him feel like his heart had burst, that Yuya realised the others were being muffled

' _I can't hear them. I can't feel them I can't-wherearetheywheredidtheygo nononono_ _ **nonono'**_

Yuya could just barely make out Yuri, who sounded panicked and distressed. But he couldn't make out any words behind what felt like frosted glass thick enough to block out sound. Yugo was almost no noise whatsoever, almost pounding on the glass in panic and fear and it tore at him all of it did where were they-

Yuya's head snaps up, disoriented eyes searching frantically for the only one he _knew_ should be here.

Yuto is in the same position, bowed over and gripping his head with a hand, jaw clenched hard and panic glossed over his unfocused eyes.

Stumbling closer, Yuya tries to call out to him, but his throat feels like it has closed up and refuses to cooperate. He manages a chopped up attempt that sounds more like strained breathing. "Yuu-"

Even so, Yuto's head snaps up, roving in much the same way Yuya's did until grey finds red. They stumble closer and reach for the other as the buzzing increases like static in their heads.

' _Don'ttakethemawaydon'ttakethemawaydon'ttakethemawayfromme-'_

They more or less fall into each other, shaking hands desperately clutching at the other like they would disappear if they let go. Misery and emptiness tears at them from where the frosted glass blocks them from each other, enough to make their eyes sting. Fingers clench onto cloth and limbs wrap tight around each other as their eyes flicker into glowing lights of purple and red.

 _You're still hereI'm still hereDon't go awayI'll never leaveNothing will keep us apart-_

Their dragons roar together. Distantly, two more start as well.

And something seems to shatter.

 _ **/[~{We're still connected}~]\**_

Yuzu tears into the area with Rin beside her, their wrists glowing pink and green, just in time to see the dragons disappear. The imposing creatures seem almost mournful, still folded over the two entwined figures even as they vanish, leaving their master alone.

But to an outsider, two boys are left still holding tightly onto each other, even unconscious and collapsed to the ground, not yet fallen tears clinging to their eyelashes and closed eyes.

* * *

 _ **The connected square, a closed cage**_

 _ **And the small voices become clear**_

 _ **The separating square, an unbinding cage**_

 _ **And the loud voices become obstruct**_

 _ **Our eternally linked routes clear our field of vision**_


	27. Reflect

/Yuya\

[Yuto]

~Yugo~

{Yuri}

* * *

Yuzu looks around the park as she runs, duel disk held up against her ear as she tries to reach Yuya, hoping this time he'll pick up. But it just keeps ringing in her ear without picking up.

Yuya was nowhere to be found, not answering calls and seemingly having vanished into thin air. With Sora also gone and coupled with what Yuya had told them earlier, her nerves were high-strung.

"Gongenzaka is coming here too." Yuzu looks over at Rin, who just put away her own duel disk. "Any luck?"

"Nothing," Yuzu answers with a sigh, "He's still not picking up."

"Then we'll just keep looking, we're bound to run into him somewhere."

Yuzu manages a weak smile and nod. "Right."

Yuzu returns to scanning the park as they move, looking out for any sight of goggles glinting in the light from the street lamps, a flash of a white jacket, or a bushy blue ponytail.

"Yuya!" she shouts, hoping he'll respond.

Instead, something starts shining.

"What the-" Rin says, raising her wrist as they abruptly stop in the road. Her bracelet is glowing, the silver having turned a pale green and casting colour over her arm and face.

"What's happening?" Yuzu says, eyes flicking between her own bracelet, pale pink light enveloping the two circles and Rin's.

"I don't know!"

They both freeze as a roar sounds out over the park. No, not one, there were two. It echoed into their bones and made them freeze in place.

And Yuzu vaguely recognised one of them, had heard it hundreds of times.

"Hey, Yuzu!" Rin calls after her as the twin-tailed hair takes off running again, in the direction of the loud sound.

Yuzu slows down as the stage comes into view, panting as she looks over the area, Rin soon coming to a stop next to her. The synchro user soon lets out a small gasp, and Yuzu looks quickly at her and to where her eyes are looking.

A scream catches in her throat as she catches sight of a crumpled form in a white jacket collapsed on the ground. She hears Rin curse next to her, and they both run forward.

Yuzu has to pause, however, when she realises Yuya isn't alone.

There's another boy laying there. They're wrapped around each other, holding on even while unconscious. With their faces resting so close to each other, you could mistake them for mirror images.

Yuzu kneels down next to Yuya. "Yuya?" She shakes his shoulder, but he doesn't respond at all. It's as if he's in a deep sleep. The other boy doesn't react either even when the movement rustles them as well. Violet bangs brush against his face, relaxed in the same way as Yuya, their heads resting so close their foreheads were just barely touching. It was a face familiar to her, but the one she knew as it's owner was laying right next to him.

"I'm guessing," Rin starts, remaining standing up, looking down at the unconscious pair. "That this is Yuto."

"Yuto?" Yuzu looks up at Rin in confusion. Then she remembers what Yuya had told her and Gongenzaka earlier. Yuto was one of the names Yuya had given as belonging to his three friends.

Yuzu turns back to Yuya, shaking him again to try and wake him up. "Yuya, what's wrong? What happened?"

Still no answer. Worry was clawing at Yuzu. He was just fine a mere hour ago, what could make him fall unconscious?

"Yuzu! Rin-dono!"

They look up, seeing Gongenzaka running over, his loud footsteps loudly clanking against the ground. His expression turns grave as he spots the two collapsed on the ground. "What happened?"

"We don't know, we found them like this," Yuzu says, brow furrowed in worry. Gongenzaka looks concerned as he crouches next to Yuzu. His gaze shifts over to the other boy, eyes widening. "This is-"

"Yuto!"

Yuzu's head snaps up at the voice. Two figures barrel into view, one she doesn't recognise, but the other one she definitely does.

Ruri pauses, breathing hard as she takes in the scene in front of her. The moment she spots the boy on the ground, however, her expression crumble in worry and she rushes forward. "Yuto? What's wrong?"

' _Ruri uses Xyz. Yuto is from the Xyz Dimension. So is Ruri too…?'_

"What happened here?" Yuzu flinches at the rough voice and looks at the other person who had come with Ruri. He was tall and wore a long, tattered jacket, gold eyes piercing into them with such fury it made Yuzu shrink back. "What did you do to Yuto?!"

Gongenzaka takes a step forward and meets his eyes head-on, but it's Rin who steps up close and glares right back, both of their steady presences a relief to Yuzu. Rin's voice is frosty as she speaks, back drawn up straight. "We don't know. How about you cut back the aggression and we can think it over?"

His eyes widen as he looks at Rin, then down at Yuzu with the same look.

"Shun, stop it," Ruri says, looking up, keeping one hand on Yuto's shoulder. "There's no use arguing."

They look at each other silently for a few seconds, until Shun let's out a sigh, and nods once. He doesn't completely relax but does stop glaring murder at them. He looks at Yuto, eyes seemingly softening in worry. "How is he?"

"Sleeping, I think." Ruri looks down again, eyes filled with worry. "He doesn't seem injured at least."

"We found them like this," Yuzu says, brow furrowed. "Yuya won't wake up or even stir, I don't know what's wrong."

Rin glances over them. "Yuto's your friend right? Are you all from the Xyz dimension?"

Ruri looks up, soft dark pink eyes widening slightly as they meet wintry amber. "Oh… you are-"

"The one from Synchro, yeah," Rin sighs. She gives Ruri a half-smile "Nice to meet you, I suppose."

Ruri smiles slightly. "Same here."

Shun steps forward, crouching down next to Ruri, voice low. "There are security cameras here, it's not a good place to talk. We should move."

Ruri tenses up. She sends a hesitant glance to the other three, before nodding. "You're right. Let's take Yuto back to LDS."

Shun frowns and looks like he wants to argue, but says nothing.

Yuzu looks down at Yuya. Right, they should get him home. Yoko must be worried about him, and letting him lay out here in the cold won't help him wake up.

Gongenzaka immediately moves forward to carefully de-tangle Yuya from Yuto, which he managed after some tugging when they proved to be holding on to each other pretty hard.

Eventually, Gongenzaka gets Yuya up on his back with some help from Yuzu and Rin. He looks at the other two present as they get Yuto up on Shun's back. "Shall I carry your friend as well?" Ruri and Shun looked at him in surprise.

"Why?" Shun asks, suspicion heavy in his voice and body shifting to hover over his friends sleeping form.

"It is natural to help comrades when you can," Gongenzaka simply says, resolute.

They seem thrown off by this, blinking in shock. Ruri eventually smiles gratefully and shakes her head. "Thank you for the offer but, we'll manage. You focus on getting Yuya home."

Gongenzaka nods, not pressing further. They stand up, Shun hefting Yuto up better on his back, the boy still not stirring at all.

"Guess we'll see you two again?" Rin asks, arms crossed.

"I think so," Ruri says, a small smile on her face that looked a bit tired. "I'd like to talk more, but…"

"After Yuya and Yuto wake up," Yuzu says, finishing Ruri's thought.

So with one last nod, both groups turn away and head to their respective destinations.

* * *

Yuri wakes up with a gasp, sucking in air sharply from between his teeth. His muscles scream at him as he sits, body kept tense and taut even after he passed out.

Actually, he wasn't sure what he did. Wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness, spacing out, sleeping, it felt like he had done all and none of them at the same time.

Yuri slowly flexed his fingers, stretching out his limbs carefully. They ached and his head throbbed and he was _annoyed_.

He thought back, or tried to. Last he remembers, he'd been prowling the halls, looking for something to kill time with in the evening. Preferably some poor sap who thought themselves skilled enough to duel him. It never ended well, but it was amusing nonetheless.

But then, some weird buzzing started up in his head. He'd thought it was coming from somewhere else, until he realised it was coming from a place he usually only heard two particular voices from.

And it kept getting louder. And Yuya and Yuto felt atrocious.

When Yuri felt the start of trembles through his body, he decided staying out in the open was too risky. This called for a strategic retreat.

It was a bit of a challenge keeping quiet and moving without being seen and keeping completely steady when he had to pass by people. Doubly so when he climbed up walls and out of windows or jumped walls, but he got to his room with no injuries.

So when the doors clicked shut and the lock was safely turned, Yuri let himself collapse to the floor. And promptly blacked out.

"I'm gonna wring their necks when I get ahold of them…" Yuri mutters irritably to himself with no real malice behind it, which was just a bit disgusting, honestly. Getting to his feet took some struggling and forcing his legs to hold his weight without shaking.

Only for him to almost fall over again when there's sudden banging on his door.

"Oi! Yuri! I know you're in there! Open up!"

Well, that was a familiarly crass voice, and one he really didn't want to hear right now.

Serena bangs again, hard enough it wouldn't surprise him if she made marks on the wood from her fists. It made his already aching head hurt more, something still ringing in the back of his skull.

"If you break my door I break your fingers," he calls after coughing quietly enough so no one except him heard it. His throat felt dry.

"I won't need to break it if you unlock it!"

Yuri sighs, hobbling over to the door and opening it a crack, subtly leaning against the door. Serena stood on the other side, fist raised in the middle of another bang against the wood. She stopped in surprise at seeing him but soon frowns as usual. "Took you long enough."

Yuri rolls his eyes. "My, please forgive me for not bending to your wishes immediately, dear little Professor's pet student. Alas, I have other things to attend to beyond your whims."

Serena clenches her fist like she's barely holding herself back from punching him in the face, and he smirks in amusement. He might be laying on the taunting a bit thick, but he _really_ wanted her to go away and leave him alone right now.

But Serena doesn't storm off, or shout and curse at him and _then_ storm off. Instead she pauses, and gives him a look. Just staring at his face in silence for a long moment, and it was odd. He'd like it to stop.

"What now?" he says, sounding as put-off and offended as he could.

"...Are you alright?"

That throws him off enough to only managing to blink at the girl for a few solid seconds. Then he looks at her with an unimpressed expression. "Excuse me?"

"You look pale and shaky, kinda like shit overall. And you ran past and ignored me earlier even when I called out to you."

Shit, so he had been seen. Well, since it was Serena, and she felt it was okay to call out to him, the chance of anyone else being around was close to minimal. But that she had noticed was not good.

He huffs irritably, trying to ignore how his legs feel like jelly underneath him. "Maybe I didn't answer you because I didn't want to deal with you?"

Serena doesn't look like she believes him. Yuri frowns, feeling his patience thin out. It was weirdly short today, even though it was short already when he was dealing with Serena. The hand hidden behind his door clenched to make it stop shaking. And why was his damn head still ringing?

 _{What the hell are you buffoons up to now?}_

Buzz buzz, god shut up already, he was trying to-

Yuri freezes.

Serena frowns at his sudden imitation of a statue and widening eyes. "H-hey, what-"

Yuri doesn't hear her. He sees her mouth move, her hands moving, but there's a lock in his ears and he can't make out a word she's saying. It didn't matter though, not right now.

He can't hear them.

 _He can't_ _ **hear them-**_

Yuri tears away from the door to wobbly pace, hands clutching his skull tightly. Serena yells something, but he doesn't hear her, barely sees her with his rapidly fuzzying vision.

 _{You pests better respond right the fuck now before I come over there-}_

His breathing is getting faster and he tries to focus on keeping it at a steady level. He _was not_ panicking. He was **not**. Yuri was not getting this disturbed over not being able to hear or feel them-

 _~Yuri…?~_

And like that, he stops. Stares down at the floor through his fingers.

 _~What happened? I couldn't hear any of you but then I could kinda make you out but Yuya and Yuto are still distant… Hey, are you okay? You feel seriously not good.~_

It was muffled, like it came from behind a filter and he had to concentrate to listen, but it was without a doubt Yugo. Muscles lose their tension as he breaths forcefully through his nose, legs begging to be freed from supporting his weight.

 _~Dude, please say something, I'm starting to worry you're not hearing me.~_

 _{I'm here, I can hear you. Just, give me a second.}_

 _~Huh-?~_

Yuri raises a hand in Serena's direction, who's stepped into the room and is looking at him with a look mixed with panic and worry, unsure whether to approach or not.

He turns on his heel and calmly walks over to his private bathroom.

And promptly empties his stomach in the toilet.

"Oi Yuri?! What the hell is going on?!"

Serena hurries over, kneeling next to him and, after a moment's hesitation, put her hand on his back. That's what you do when someone is sick, right? She didn't see the point, but she didn't want to sit there and do _nothing_ either. She awkwardly patted Yuri's back, grimacing at the occasional sound. They stop and there's a few seconds where pants are the only sound in the room.

Then Yuri's head snaps back up, making Serena jump. He yanks a small towel to wipe his mouth with as he closes the lid and flushes. He sighs, looking collected and pompous as always despite having just turned his insides back out seconds ago.

"Fuu, what a bother," he says, folding the towel and throwing it into a laundry basket behind him. "This really isn't how I'd like to spend my time, how inconvenient."

Serena gapes, flabbergasted over how quickly he switched mood. If you just looked at him now, you'd never guess he had been sick just a minute ago.

"...You're a really weird guy, you know that?" Serena says, look of incredulity on her face.

Yuri just smiles sweetly at her. "My, you've only just thought of that one?"

Serena gives him a disgusted look, only to frown when he starts to get to feet. "H-hey, should you be getting up?"

"I'm not in the mood to sit on the bathroom floor all night." Yuri manages to get to his feet mostly by himself, only needing to grip the sink to steady himself once he stood up.

 _{Sorry about that. Something came up.}_

 _~Uuuh, yeah, I noticed. Are you really okay?~_

The corner of Yuri's moth turns down just slightly in displeasure, cursing the two-way course of sensations shared between them. He hadn't had the time or clear mind to block his off.

 _{I'm fine. Just… a bit shaky.}_

 _~Hey, I am too, it's okay. You can talk about it.~_

Yuri huffs, walking out of the bathroom with minimal hobbling. It got easier the more steps he took. He heard Serena get up behind him and following after, frown on her face.

 _{I know.}_

' _Doesn't mean I necessarily will.'_

"That's about enough excitement from me, so why don't you leave- oof!"

He's interrupted and caught off guard when something pushes hard him from behind. He doesn't manage to get his feet back under himself and falls face down heavily on his bed.

Once he's stopped bouncing on the mattress from the fall, he looks up with flat eyes at Serena, who's standing above the bed with her hands on her hips.

"You're gonna rest."

Yuri quirks an unimpressed eyebrow at the obvious demand, maybe even order, in her voice. "Is that so? By your rule?"

"Yes," Serena says as she grabs hold of his legs and pulls them up on the bed proper before pulling off his shoes.

Yuri scowls at her as he sits up. "I don't appreciate being manhandled like a child."

"When you act like a child and won't rest, then that's what happens." Serena tosses his boots to a corner, Yuri staring sullenly as they hit the floor with a loud thud. His vision is obscured as a blanket is thrown over his head. He rips it off only to find Serena is dragging a chair over to put it by the bed, plopping down like she belonged.

"What, you want to watch me sleep? How scandalous."

Serena bristles, stomping her foot on the floor. "Shut up! Just sleep!" She leans back against the backrest with a huff, arms crossed tightly across her front. "I'm just staying to make sure you actually sleep."

Yuri wasn't sure he believed her, but frankly, he was too tired to argue. His body wasn't tired, not at all, but mentally. He could forcefully collect himself and get up as normal if needed, but…

"Our quarters are kinda similar, huh…" Serena mutters, looking around for the first time. It was the first time she was in here, he realised. Usually all time they spent in each others presence was in his garden.

"I suppose they would be," he says, clicking open his jacket to take it off, taking the time to fold it and place it on his bedside table. "When you're isolated from other students by the Professor, that's how it goes."

Serena's head snaps to him, eyes wide. Yuri curses internally, realising he'd let himself slip just a little.

"You're allowed to go to normal classes, aren't you?" Serena asks, looking puzzled, voice a tad accusing. "You just skip."

"No one's making me. Nor am I getting in trouble for it." Yuri shoots back, leaning back on his hands. He smiles, the gesture stretching a bit too wide across his face to be in any way friendly. "I don't think they want me to, either. Hard to force a student they're terrified off to behave."

Really, for even teachers and instructors to behave like that, it was frankly pathetic. They had nothing to teach him, anyway, hadn't for a long time.

Serena doesn't seem to quite understand him, just looking at him in slight confusion. Yuri shrugs his shoulders, and lays down, pulling the blanket onto himself properly and shifting so his back was to her. "When you leave make sure to lock the door behind you."

"Oh, right." There's a pause. "How? Are you telling me to climb out the window?"

Yuri rolls his eyes. "No, numbskull. I've got an extra key under the floorboards. It's under the desk, ignore the obvious cardboard box and reach further in for a small one. Don't you dare lose or give it away."

"I won't," she says resolutely, rising to likely check under the desk. "Is it the one furthest against the wall near the left table leg?"

"Correct."

"Got it."

And with that, it's silent, last noise being when Serena sits back down.

Yuri stares at his pillow in mild disbelief over the situation. Having _guests_ in his room had certainly never crossed his mind as a possibility. The rare moments he indulged himself or dreamed of Yuya, Yuto and Yugo being here with him, they were always down in his garden. The only place he felt comfortable.

* * *

 _{How are things on your end, Yugo?}_

 _~Okay? I kinda collapsed and Jack is making me see a doctor. I'm just a bit shaky, I feel fine.~_

 _{Quit your complaining and let them look you over.}_

 _~I don't want to hear that from you!~  
_

 _{I am resting right now, for the record. Not willingly, mind you.}_

 _~...That sounds ominous.~_

 _{Not really, Serena is just being stubborn.}_

 _~Remind me to thank her later.~_

 _{Haha, very funny.}_

 _~I'm being told to rest too now. I'm not even that tired… I think.~_

 _{Mental strain tends to do that to you.}_

 _~Yeah… um,~_

 _{What now?}_

 _~You'll still be here tomorrow, right? I don't wanna wake up and have you all just… gone.~_

 _{I'll be here. And even if I wouldn't be, I'd go get you. All of you.}_

 _~Really?~_

 _{Promise.}_

 _~Hehe, okay. I'd go get you all too.~_

 _{You can't travel through dimensions, remember?}_

 _~I'd find a way! If it meant we can be together, I'd find a way…~_

Yuri feels Yugo fall asleep, drifting between wakefulness and sleep like a boat on the sea.

His eyelids grew heavy, and he let himself succumb to slumber.

Even if he broke, he would keep them safe.

 _[Is anyone there?]_

 _{Yuto? Took you long enough, where have you been?}_

 _[Sleeping, I- Yuri, what's happening?]_

 _{I don't know. It's been closed off like this until you spoke. What happened two days ago? You all just...}_

 _[I don't know, there was some kind of sound, and it hurt, and… suddenly I couldn't feel or hear any of you. Like you were just… blocked out, or disappeared. I just woke up.]_

 _{I see… I felt a bit of it too, and you all just disappeared for a moment until Yugo spoke, but...]_

 _[Yugo? How is he?]_

 _{What?}_

 _{Yuto… can't you hear him?}_

 _[...Huh?]_

 _~...! …-!...~_

 _[Yuri, what is Yugo saying? I-I can't hear him, I-]_

 _{He can barely hear you either, but I can hear you both. He's asking if you're okay, about Yuya, and that he's fine.}_

 _[R-right, uh, I'm okay, mostly. Ruri gave me an earful for leading the Fusion spy away by myself.]_

 _~...at him?~_

 _{Yugo's asking if you won.}_

 _[I'm quite sure I could have, but he got forced home in the middle. And Yuya wouldn't have let us, he intended to get in the way in every way he could.]_

 _~Heh…..haha…..~_

 _{How like him. The little spy has been confined to the medical rooms, keeps screaming about Xyz remnants.}_

 _[Yeah… uh, Yuya is. I don't know, I haven't seen him yet. Apparently he collapsed like I did and his friends brought him home.]_

 _{I assume you will visit him?}_

 _[How did you know?]_

 _{Don't ask obvious questions. Anyway, with the spy being sent back, things are gonna start moving, and quick.}_

 _~Are… Yuya gonna… okay? Goddamnit-~_

 _[You're much clearer now, Yugo.]_

 _{Seems it takes some time but we do start hearing each other properly again.}_

 _[Yeah. I… don't know how this will go down, but… I'm gonna do my best to make sure no one gets hurt.]_

 _~Good luck!~_

 _{It'll be impossible to tell what will happen, but know this much, Yuto, if you see me, I am not your ally.}_

 _[Huh?]_

 _{If the Professor catch wind of any connection between us, it could get unpleasant.}_

 _~Why not just defect right now? It's not like you're actually loyal to those guys anyway.~_

 _{I'm playing spy myself right now. And knowing your opponents moves is a nice advantage.}_

 _[...Okay, if you're so sure. But if things get bad, come to us right away.]_

 _{Fine, fine. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I've been living here for most of my life, after all.}_

 _~Mmm, I don't like it, but… okay.~_

* * *

Getting to Yuya's house doesn't take long. He's been given the address and descriptions of the place from Yuya just in case it was ever needed. Yuto never really expected it to be useful in a situation like this, and he doesn't feel very happy about it.

Still, looking at the house Yuya had grown up in still leaves him with a weird feeling. Even though they'd been talking every day for two years now, Yuto didn't have a clue what the lives the others had been living looked like. He got a glimpse of it when he came to Standard and saw what Yuya's hometown looked like.

Seeing the house Yuya has lived in all this time left him with an odd fluttering, almost excited feeling in his chest. He doesn't really know how to take that.

Yuto pauses as his deck pulses, a light shining from inside it. When he reaches into his deck holder and pulls out the card, he sees Dark Rebellion, softly glowing in his hands. Yuto looks up and through a window on the second floor, he sees a similar light in the room.

"Is that where Yuya is?" he asks his dragon. He gets no answer, but he doesn't really need one.

Pocketing the card again, Yuto jumps over the hedge surrounding the vicinity and quietly darts across the grass. With a jump and pulling himself up, he's on the roof and carefully walks across, over to the window he'd seen the light in. It was on the corner, the roof above slanted. Reaching the window, he pulls at it and, to his surprise, it slides open. He enters, the only sound being the quiet click of his heel on the floor and the sound of the window slowly closing once more.

 _[Remind me to scold Yuya for leaving his bedroom window unlocked at night later.]_

 _~Seriously? Does he WANT to get robbed?~_

 _{The benefit of not having to protect your wellbeing at night, I suppose.}_

 _~At least one of us hasn't had to.~_

Yes, that was indeed a good thing. Hopefully, it would keep being that way, but Yuto wasn't very hopeful on that front.

Turning around, Yuto took in the room he was in.

Yuya's bedroom, he realised.

It was hard to see from the lack of light, but he could see the floor was checkered, big red and white squares instead of one colour. A cupboard with colourful boxes and books stacked inside, the upper shelves having glass doors with some figures and statues inside. The desk looked like an odd shelf, instead of a chair, there was a big bouncy ball with stars on it. A big wall mirror was set up on the wall and two doors, one he guessed lead out to the hall and the other to maybe a closet or a bathroom.

It was very… Yuya.

Yuto turned to the bed next to him, taking in the person laying still on it.

Yuya looked like he was sleeping, face lax and eyes closed peacefully, but very still.

Yuto kneeled next to the bed, relief coursing through him at the sight and hearing his quiet, deep breathing. He folds his arms on the bed near Yuya's head and rests his head on them, suddenly feeling very tired.

 _/...Yuto…\_

He looks up, eyes half-lidded. But Yuya doesn't move at all, hasn't even appeared to have twitched.

 _/...Yugo…\_

His body turns limp as weariness takes hold of his body, eyes struggling to stay open.

 _/...Yuri…\_

Gray eyes slide shut as their owner's breathing evens out. The last of the faint ringing fades away, leaving the other's warmth to fill its place.

* * *

Yuto slowly stirred awake. His legs prickled uncomfortably under him and his arms were stiff, yet he felt warm.

Shifting, he noted the softness under his arms. Blearily blinking his eyes open, he first saw his arms, then he made out something bright green and striped. Gingerly he moved his head, feeling a crick in his neck from his odd sleeping position, squinting from the sunlight streaming through the window. He looked up and made out a head of messy green and red hair.

Yuto relaxed, recalling where he was. Slipping in through Yuya's bedroom window, only planning to stay a little while to check up on him, but he had been so tired… What was supposed to be a short lay down on Yuya's bed had ended up with him falling asleep.

 _[Good morning.]_

 _{Good afternoon, you mean.}_

Yuto blinks in surprise. _[Is it so late?]_

 _~Yeah man, you slept a long time. How are you feeling?~_

Yugo still sounded a little distant, but not like he was talking behind a wall anymore. It made a tension seep out of his shoulders in relief.

 _[Better. Guess I needed the rest.]_

Gingerly, Yuto sat up, feeling the left behind ache from his awkward position. Yuya didn't even stir, face relaxed peacefully in sleep, hair splayed out over his pillow. The sight made him smile slightly.

 _[Has Yuya been up yet?]_

 _{No, he hasn't come to at all. He doesn't even seem to be dreaming.}_

Yuto frowns, looking at the other again. He still looked a bit still, but somehow Yuto thought there was a bit more life in his face compared to yesterday night. He sat up properly, and only now did he realise he had a blanket draped over his shoulders.

Yuto froze. Yuya hadn't been awake to put it on, and he certainly hadn't done it, so who-

The bedroom door swings open. Yuto whirls and stares wide-eyed like a deer in headlights.

With one hand on the doorknob and the other on the doorframe, there stood a woman, looking at him in mild surprise. She had green eyes and long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

She smiled warmly. "Finally awake, are you?"

Yuto gapes. His body is rooted to the spot, limbs not budging an inch as all he can do is sit there. "Ah- Uh…"

The woman doesn't seem to mind his stuttering, only smiling a bit wider. She steps into the room, and Yuto tenses up like an animal ready to run at the slightest movement.

"Did you sleep well? You barely stirred when I came in here, you must have been tired."

Yuto feels gobsmacked, like he was about to be hit with a bat but it turned out to be made of flower petals. "Um, y-yes."

The woman smiles, then looks at the figure lying prone on the bed. "Has he woken up yet?"

Yuto looks at Yuya, still sleeping, but keeps the woman in his vision. "No… he hasn't moved."

A sigh, then steps coming closer and Yuto freezes as the woman sits down on the floor next to him in front of the bed like he wasn't a complete stranger. "Honestly… he can be such a handful."

There's a clear fondness in her voice and her smile is no less warm than before. And Yuto is suddenly hit with the realisation of who this woman probably is, his stomach filling with butterflies.

"Are… are you Yuya's mother?"

The woman looks at him with an amused smile. "That's right, I'm Sakaki Yoko. And since you know Yuya's name and is sleeping in here, I'm guessing you know him?"

Yuto feels his cheeks flush in embarrassment, feeling very awkward and lost. What mother just casually talks and sits down next to a stranger found sleeping half on her son's bed. Someone who had clearly broken in during the night to boot.

Yuto finds himself only able to nod. "Something like that…" He glances at the figure sleeping on the bed before looking back at the woman next to him. "My name is Yuto. Um, I'm very sorry about breaking in. I just… really needed to see that Yuya was okay."

Yuya's mother hums. "I see. How did you become friends?"

He bites his lip, wondering how to answer. Telling the truth wasn't exactly an option if Yuya hadn't already told her, and it wasn't Yuto's place to explain either. He couldn't speak for Yuya in that way. But outright lying didn't feel right either…

"From a while back," he hesitantly says. "It's only recently that I've been able to meet him."

"When you say from a while back… it wouldn't happen to be about two years ago, would it?"

Yuto whirls to the woman with wide, startled eyes. "How-"

Yoko simply smiles. "I guessed."

She turns to look at Yuya with a reflective look on her face, eyes shifting to somewhere that wasn't here. "You know, when Yuya was about twelve, he started mentioning friends I had never met or heard of before. Maybe he had some imaginary friends, but Yuya has never really been that kind of child."

Yuto listens quietly, hands clenching and unclenching around the fabric of his pants. He watches as Yoko gets up and walks over to the bookshelf and opens a drawer. She shifts through it and pulls out a paper, thick and stiff with colours visible from the back. Her lips quirk up into a fond smile before she walks back over and holds it out to him. Hesitantly, Yuto reaches out and takes it.

And stops.

"He got an assignment from school. "Draw the people you love," I believe it was," Yoko says, not paying any mind to Yuto's sudden stillness, sitting down again. She smiles at Yuya's sleeping form. "I remember getting called in because the teacher had tried asking him about three drawings, but he'd clammed up and refused to say anything." She laughs, like the memory amused her. "She was so frazzled, I thought it was something really serious."

Yuto listens with one ear, eyes still glued to the drawing held in both his hands.

It looked normal enough. Yuto could recognise the people on it, helped by the names being written next to their little heads. There was Yoko, someone named 'Yusho' who he remembered as Yuya's dad, Yuzu and Gongenzaka he recognised as well.

But then, in the middle of the paper furthest down, the drawings of humans got interrupted by something else.

Three coloured circles or orbs were drawn, each one having more than one colour in them and each of them having different things scribbled around them. Black, dark purple and what looked like silver had ghosts, swords and dotted stars around it. Blue in both dark and light shades, some green and teal and some clear lines left to leave the white of the paper, were surrounded by a messy motorcycle, clouds, a sun, and little sparkles. Dark purple, dark pink, with some lines of green and yellow, and around that there were leafy plants, sharp teeth, and a scarce few normal flowers.

And next to each little blurb, a name was written. Yuto, Yugo and Yuri.

Yuto looks at the top of the paper again, where the title is written in a black pen. 'People I love.'

He bites his lip, the edges of the paper crinkling under his fingers as they unconsciously tighten their hold.

"Would you be the same 'Yuto' Yuya was thinking about when he drew that?"

Yuto can only nod, throat feeling too closed up for him to speak properly for a moment. He swallows hard, and tries sharing even a little of the emotions welling up in him with Yuri and Yugo. They deserved as much.

 _~What's up, Yuto?~_

 _[Sorry, there's a lot right now. I'll tell you both later. But Yuya drew us.]_

 _{Last I remember, only you two know what the other looks like, so that seems flat out impossible.}_

 _[No, I mean, I think it's the impression or things he associates with us? There are colours and objects. For an assignment to 'draw the people you love'.]_

 _{...Oh}_

 _~What's with that, I wanna see!~_

 _[You can see it when we're all together, I'm not describing it.]_

 _~Stingy.~_

Yuto laughs quietly. After a moment, Yoko waiting patiently all the while, Yuto finally felt like he could speak. "I am. I don't know any other Yuto he could know. I know the other two as well, but… they're not here right now."

Right now. But they would be.

"Then, do I get to meet them someday?" Yoko asks, smiling when Yuto looks at her in surprise. "If Yuya thinks so highly of all of you, I definitely want to meet them too."

Yuto blinks, then finds himself smiling. "Yeah, definitely. Yuya wanted us to meet you too." He pauses and laughs as he recalls something. "And eat your pancakes, which I've heard mountain loads of praise of."

Yoko seems caught off guard by that, but quickly she's laughing, hand held in front of her mouth. Her laugh was similar to Yuya's, his genuine one.

"He really does love my pancakes! I'll have to bring my best when that day comes, huh?"

"I'm looking forward to it," he says, inclining his head with a smile. "But, only when all four of us are here, if that's okay."

Yoko smiles in light amusement. "Is it that special? Eating my pancakes together?"

Yuto flushes. "Ah, no well… we've talked about it, what our favourite food is, and we all said we'd try it together, once we got to meet."

He can't help the almost nostalgic smile from sneaking onto his face. Those conversations felt far away, yet also so familiar even now.

A ding makes him jump, head turning left and right to locate the source of the sound. Yoko seems unperturbed, simply getting up and walking to Yuya's desk, picking up his duel disk.

"What is it?"

"Yuya's opponent tomorrow has been decided," she says, looking at her son sleeping peacefully on his bed. "I just hope he gets up before then. If he'd wake up and realise he missed his match and got disqualified because he was sleeping…"

Yuto frowns. Yuya's whole reason for being in this tournament was to qualify to be a pro. If he missed it, he'd be crushed. And all because he didn't want Sora and Yuto to duel. Yuto didn't know what exactly had happened to them back then, but if Yuya hadn't been there, maybe he wouldn't be asleep right now.

Yuto felt guilt nip at him.

His eyes are drawn to Yuya's duel disk.

"Sakaki-san." She looks at him curiously. "I would like your permission for something."

* * *

"Is Yuya-oniichan still not here?"

"He didn't show up before the matches either…"

"Is he gonna make it?"

Yuzu glances at the kids and tries her best to put on a believable smile. "Don't worry, Yuya will definitely come!"

Even as she says this, worry gnarls at her insides. Yuya still hadn't woken up today, is he really gonna sleep through his duel?

"Oh, Yoko," her dad suddenly says, and all eyes present snap over to the woman as she sits down in her seat. "How's Yuya? Is he okay?"

Yoko smiles secretly. "No need to worry, he's okay."

"Is he-" Yuzu starts but is interrupted as the announcer starts speaking.

"And now, could our duelists please enter the field!"

Yuzu wrings her hands, anxiousness setting in as she shares a look with Gongenzaka, dreading the announcement that Sakaki Yuya was disqualified or had withdrawn.

Then, a figure steps onto the field, a familiar white jacket slung over his shoulders and goggles glinting in the light.

"He made it!" Ayu cheers.

"Thank goodness," Shuzo sighs, slumping in his seat from relief. "Really, making us worry like that."

Yuzu smiles in relief, Gongenzaka squaring his shoulders in pride.

Rin tilts her head, staring long and hard at the figure down below, brow furrowed in thought.

Away from the audience, in private seats overlooking the field, sat two people.

"...That's Yuto, isn't it?" Ruri asks uncertainly.

"Pretty sure it is, yeah," Shun responds, looking confused as he blinks down at his best friend.

* * *

Yuto wouldn't call himself an impulsive person, nor someone who came up with overly silly ideas. He had always been more laidback, preferring the wall to any other part of a room, where he can be out of the way and not be bothered.

Deciding to impersonate Yuya in a tournament would likely be counted as both of those things.

Yuto barely keeps his eyebrow from twitching madly at the ravenous laughter in his head. He was already regretting sharing his plan with his others.

 _[Are you done?]_

 _~He-ee-ll no, are you kidding? This is hilarious!~_

Yuto sighs, surrendering to the fact that this will take a while.

 _{Are you feeling more colourful~?}_

 _[Shut up.]_

 _{Hey now, this was your idea. We're just commenting.}_

 _~Ha, ha, haha, okay seriously, are you actually doing this, Yuto?~_

 _[Yes. A bit late to back out now, either way. I'll pull it off.]_

 _{I do wonder if anyone will really buy it, though. You and Yuya give off quite different air's.}_

Yuto tugs at his shirt, adjusting the jacket on his shoulders. Yuya's clothes felt weird on him, loose and tight in places he wasn't used to his clothes being. They were flashy, colourful, pretty much everything Yuto's wasn't, except for his cloak perhaps.

His hair had been combed down to his best ability, but the borrowed goggles did most of the work to make his hair resemble Yuya's. The biggest issue, perhaps, would be his eyes. He and Yuya had very different looks in them, and anyone who knew Yuya well would likely start to doubt if they looked at him for too long. Luckily, his opponent was a stranger.

 _[You two don't know yet just how similar we look. From a distance, Yuya's friends won't recognise me. It'd be easier for others to believe I'm actually Yuya in a different mood than a whole other person.]_

 _~Huh…. anyway please make someone take a picture of you, I want to see you in Yuya's clothes.~_

 _[Absolutely not.]_

It was bad enough he was going out in front of a big crowd in this, he'd be damned if he let the other three ever see him in this. At least the people out there didn't know it wasn't Sakaki Yuya they were looking at.

So when the call to enter the field came, Yuto took a deep breath, and strode forward, trying his best to not look like he was going to war.

His opponent stares silently at him, even as the field changes around them. Yuto takes out his deck, actually Yuya's deck, and looks at it for a moment. He draws his thumb over the top card, smiling. "I know I'm not your usual master, but please take care of me."

Yuto puts it in place, raises his duel disk and locks eyes with his opponent. They seem to stagger for a second before regaining their composure.

"Duel!"

* * *

"And Kachidoki go for an action card once again, and-!"

Yuto skids, jumps, Kachidoki's eyes widening as he burst out of the shadows and into view, and grabs ahold of the action card.

"Action Magic, Evasion!" Yuto shouts as he flies down to the ground and lands with his knees bent. "Your attack is negated!"

Kachidoki swears as Idaten the Conqueror Star's attack is stopped.

"Aaand Sakaki Yuya once again cuts him off! Like a phantom hiding in the shadows, he appears when you least expect it to strike!"

Yuto sweatdrops over how true that description actually was, just not for Yuya. He turns back to his opponent. "Are you finished?"

Kachidoki glares at him, fist clenched at his side. His teeth are grit as he speaks "You've managed well to survive this long, but that fortune won't last forever. Nothing on your field can help you, soon Idaten will cut you down."

Yuto's brow furrow. "You don't know that until the end. Saying victory is guaranteed will only secure your defeat. In a real battle, nothing is decided until the very end."

Kachidoki grunts. "Don't talk like you know anything. I have walked a road of darkness. I won't lose to the likes of you, who've walked a path with not a single shadow!"

Yuto flinches, suddenly realising where he recognised the look in Kachodoki's eyes. But in the end, it wasn't hard as flint as he was used to.

Yuto remembers, time spent consoling Yuya, crying or feeling down, when the days got too hard and people's words cut deeper than usual.

Gray eyes slide shut. "Everyone has their own darkness. If you don't understand that…" He looks hard at Kachidoki, who flinches and steps back at the hard look in the gray pools. "Then you have no right to talk about others suffering!"

Yuto draws, looks at his hand, usual eerie and comforting spectres and knights replaced by animals in bowties and reliable magicians in his hand. They were not his partners in battle.

But he had one ally with him. His most important one, that he couldn't bear leaving behind.

' _Right,'_ Yuto thinks, breathing in, and out. _'Let's do this.'_

"I overlay Performapal Camelump and Performapal Silver Claw!"

He can heard the shocked exclamations from the crowd and see the surprised look on his opponents face, but he pays them no mind.

"From the pitch-black darkness, rise up against the foolish oppression, Fang of Rebellion! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion appears with their familiar roar, threatening to others but reassuring to Yuto. Even it's ominous silhouette was familiar and comforting.

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect. By using one overlay unit, I can halve one of my opponent's level five or above monsters attack, and Dark Rebellion gains that amount. I use both overlay units. Treason Discharge!"

His dragon's attack ticks up as it roars, purple electricity sparking around its wings. "Battle. Dark Rebellion attacks Idaten the Conqueror Star!"

"Idaten's effects activates! When this card battle a monster with equal or lower level, that monster's attack becomes zero!"

Yuto's eyes narrow slightly. "Xyz monsters don't have levels, so your effect is negated."

Kachidoki's shout of disbelief is drowned out by Dark Rebellion's cry as it pierces his monster. He falls back with a cry, hitting the ground hard as his life points trickle to zero.

Yuto sighs as the Action Field dissipate around them. He won. Just a little longer, now…

He sees Kachidoki struggle to sit up, and pauses.

Yuto walks closer, stopping some feet away. Kachidoki glares up at him, baring his teeth, fury clear in his eyes.

Yuto's face softens in sympathy. In this world, this kind of person shouldn't have to exist. Yet, despite looking like a peaceful world, this place too had it's shadowed corners.

"Taking pride in your darkness won't lead you anywhere."

The other pauses, staring up at him in confusion.

Yuto turns around. "Not working for your happiness and just continuing to stagnate in your suffering is not something to be proud of. It's pitiful. Working for your happiness is challenging, and can be so much harder, but it's worth it." He glances over his shoulder, small, encouraging smile on his lips. "I'd like to see you do that as well. There's not a person in this world that deserves to suffer."

Yuto leaves, silence following him. The crowds chatter, but he doesn't hear them. Hopefully, he's done something similar to what Yuya would have done.

* * *

"Did it go well?"

Yuto looks up, eyes hidden behind Yuya's goggles. Yoko is smiling down at him, a glint in her eyes that he could almost identify as pride, but he didn't understand why it would be there. He nods. "Yeah, I think so. How did it look from the outside?"

"Well enough," Yoko laughs. "Yuya's friends are a bit worried over your 'odd behaviour', but I don't think anyone else would suspect there's two of you."

"That's all that matters," Yuto sighs. "Now how to deal with them…"

"Better think quickly."

Yuto looks up, seeing a group hurriedly approaching their little corner that they had taken under the guise of 'Yuya' still feeling tired.

"Yuya!" The girl he guessed to be Yuzu says, hurrying up to him, a mix of anger and worry on her face. She looked so much like Ruri it made his head spin a little. "Why didn't you come see us beforehand?! We were so worried!"

"Sorry, I needed to rest for the match," he says, getting anxious over the attention.

Luckily, Yoko comes to his rescue. "He just woke up this morning, please give him a break, Yuzu."

"But…"

"Congratulations on your victory, Yuya," Gongenzaka says, looking like he was restraining himself. "And thank goodness you finally woke up! As Yuzu said, we were all very worried, the man Gongenzaka, of course included." Yuto smiles, the gesture feeling awkward on his face, and nods.

Yuto feels pinpricks in his neck, and turns in the direction. And jolts still. Calculating amber eyes were staring sharply at him, suspicious clear in their owner's cold face.

 _[Yugo, Rin is staring at me with menacing eyes.]_

 _~Hehehe, she can be real threatening when she wants to. What did you do?~_

 _[Impersonate Yuya?]_

 _~Ah, yeah, that would do it. Best to fess up, I think she'll play along, but be prepared to be grilled later.~_

So, when Yuto saw everyone else distracted by Yoko and the man in a tracksuit with flames on it, Yuto discreetly pulled up one of the lenses of Yuya's goggles. Rin's eyes widen at the gray eyes and the different look in his eyes. He holds a finger over his lips, glancing at the others for good measure. Rin looks at them, glances back, and nods slowly. Yuto breathes a sigh of relief.

Soon, the kids and the man, Yuzu's dad apparently, leave, along with Yoko, for their next matches, leaving the four of them behind.

"So," Rin says loudly, making everyone jump. "What's the deal?"

Yuzu and Gongenzaka look at her in confusion, but Yuto sighs. "You two really know each other well, huh..."

He pulls off the goggles and there are surprised gasps as he looks up. Yuzu and Gongenzaka is staring in disbelief at him. Yuzu raises a hand to point. "Y-You're from the park the other day…"

"Yuto," he says, and lowers his head. "I'm really sorry for pretending to be Yuya. I wasn't trying to give you false hopes, but…" He looks up, then to the side again. "I didn't want Yuya to be disqualified because he came to help me."

Gongenzaka frowns. "What do you mean by that?"

"That night, because I was dueling his friend, Yuya decided to interrupt. If he hadn't been there, he might not have fallen unconscious, and in the end, I woke up before him." He looks at the goggles in his hand. "It might not have made any difference, but, I wanted to help him out, somehow."

There's a silence for a moment, until it's broken by Gongenzaka's crying.

"Even though Yuya didn't win and he gets to advance, to want to take on that burden while he's unable to because of guilt-!" he wails loudly, sounding incredibly moved. "You are a true man, Yuto!"

Yuto blinks, stunned and not sure how to react. Yuzu and Rin only smile awkwardly, but doesn't tell him to stop, Yuzu patting his arm in a soothing gesture.

 _~Yuto, say hi to Rin for me!~_

 _[Sure.]_

 _~And that I miss her.~_

 _[Seriously?]_

 _~Please?~_

 _[...Okay, fine.]_

He looks at Rin. "Yugo says hi, and…" he sighs in light embarrassment, "that he misses you."

She blinks in surprise, then smiles a fond and warm smile. "Say hi from me and that I miss him too."

 _[She says hi and that she misses you too. Happy?]_

 _~Hehe~ Very! Thank you, Yuto.~_

He lets out a tired sigh. When he looks up, he sees Rin looking at him with an amused expression. "He being a handful?"

Yuto flushes slightly. "No, I wouldn't say that…"

Rin smiles like she knows exactly what he's thinking about, and he relaxes slightly. Right, she grew up with Yugo, of course she would know the feeling of being exasperated by him but the strong fondness never leaving even then.

Yuto sighs, and squares his shoulders. He puts the goggles back on his head. "I should leave, before anyone else notices. I need to talk with Shun and Ruri as well."

"Do you think Yuya will wake up?" Yuzu asks in concern.

"Don't worry, I'm certain Yuya will wake up before the finals tomorrow." He looks at them. "Things will start moving very soon, and when that time comes, I want you all to stay safe, and survive."

They all look uneasy at words, and Yuto hated to bring this worry on them. But if he didn't at least warn them, it could have terrible consequences.

"No matter what enemy it is, the man Gongenzaka will not allow them to touch one hair on my friends!"

Yuzu nods, looking determined. "I don't think I really understand, but… I won't go down that easily! And I won't let them hurt anyone."

Rin doesn't say anything at first, only looks at the floor with a thoughtful expression, a steely look behind her eyes. She meets Yuto's eyes with a determined look. "After this, we're going to rescue Yugo, right?"

Yuto feels something flare up in his chest at her words. He nods sharply. "Yes. I don't know what Akaba Reiji is planning to do, but, that's what we want to do next."

Rin's eyes narrow, hands clenching into fists at her sides as her eyes flicker with emotions.

"I'm going too."

Their heads snap to Yuzu in surprise, who meets their eyes with determination. "That Yugo is someone important to both Yuya and Rin, right? Then I'm going to help too." She squares her shoulders resolutely and gives them a hard look. "I won't take no for an answer."

"Same for me!" Gongenzaka says loudly, arms folded over his chest. "If a friend of both Yuya and Rin-dono is in peril, I, the man Gongenzaka, will of course lend all his strength to assist in his rescue!"

They look at them in silence. Until Rin starts laughing under her breath, muffling it behind her hand. Yuzu wavers at the reaction as Rin finally looks back at them. "I shouldn't have expected anything less." She smiles gratefully. "Thank you, both of you."

Yuzu and Gongenzaka give her reassuring nods and smiles.

Yuto feels one tug at his lips as well. He's glad to see them support each other, knowing Yuya has these kinds of friends with him.

"Well then, I'll be going now." He gives them one last nod and a small smile before turning to slip away. Back to Yuya's house where his clothes, deck and duel disk lay waiting for him.

The pendulum and goggles needed to be returned before their owner realised they were gone. Though if he was up and wondering where they were, that wouldn't be too bad either.

But frankly, he was itching to get out of these clothes. They were really not his style.

* * *

"We recovered this from the soldier sent to Standard."

Yuri stares cooly at the image displayed on the wall. A girl, with Serena's face, but none of her other characteristics. _She_ certainly wouldn't smile like that if it wasn't meant to be mocking or accompanied by a frown. "She is likely the last piece we are searching for."

 _'Obviously.'_

Two more images appear, and Yuri mentally curses.

Two other girls, one with short, curly green hair and a stern expression, the other with long, dark locks, wearing a scarf over her lower face appeared next to the twin-tailed girl.

"The two that had gone missing have been located as well. Getting all three of them at once might prove difficult, but focus on bringing the piece from Standard here."

Akaba Leo, or the Professor as he was usually referred to, turned to face him. Yuri keeps the smile on his face even as the man stares at him.

"You'll bring her to me, won't you, Yuri?"

 _'Well,'_ Yuri thinks to himself with a sigh, his smile never slipping, _'it was about time.'_

* * *

Now with added edits of Gongenzaka calling Rin 'Rin-dono', cause I thought of it and really wanted it.

Hope people who have missed seeing Yuri liked seeing him again ^^

And next chapter: Tournament Time! *pumps fist* It's been a long time coming but it's finally happening \ouo/

Oh, and I completely forgot, but the lyrics from the previous chapter was from Bond ~Synchro Harmony~ from Aikatsu Friends


	28. Deep Breaths

Note: Jack's dragon has a different name in japanese, Red Demon's Dragon Scarlight, where here it's name is Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. The official subs use Scarlight, but Jack himself says Red Demon's, which is the name I will personally be using in this fic. Just so everyone knows and isn't confused, since the name I hear Jack say in my head is Red Demon's it's what I decided to go with.

Now onwards to the chapter~

* * *

"I said I'm fine."

"Collapsing with no warning is not categorized as 'fine'."

Eyes avert. "I'm just a bit tired..."

"Then let me finish checking you over and you can go rest. It won't take much longer."

Yugo doesn't quite keep the petulant pout off his face, the other two occupants of the room just keeping the amusement off their faces. The doctor looks over his wrists. "The swelling is gone and the redness has decreased a lot. Has the salve helped?"

"Yeah, though it smells weird," Yugo says, wrinkling his nose.

The woman lets out a small laugh. "Medicinal ones rarely smell nice. Soon you can use a normal one with a nicer scent if you'd like."

"I-I'm fine, I don't really need that kinda thing..."

The woman only hums in response, not adding anything. She takes the time to check over the cut on Yugo's foot. "Seems this is healing nicely as well. Just try to stay off it for a little longer and keep it clean, and it should be good as new."

"Okaaay," Yugo says reluctantly, sour over having to be careful for longer.

"It'd have healed better now if you hadn't made the wound re-open," the woman says, voice a tad bit sharper. Yugo flinches and droops into himself and the couch he was sitting on. Jack looks away from the pointed look from the doctor, face as stoic as ever.

Yugo glances up. "Sorry."

A sigh. "Just be careful. It's looking good, no sign of infection or other problems, so you've done good so far letting it heal." They finish putting a new pad over the wound and put the bandages away. She turns to them both with a small smile. "However, nothing else seems to be wrong. But considering you did collapse, please take it easy for a few days and make sure to eat and drink properly. Otherwise, you're good to go."

The words make Yugo brighten up and smile. He stands back up, only to almost crumble to the floor when his legs turn out to still be a bit too unsteady. A hand wraps around his upper arm, keeping him upright.

"Go rest." Jack's voice is hard and leaves no room for argument.

"I'm not tired," Yugo protests anyway, straightening up stubbornly when his legs won't threaten to buckle under him anymore.

"You said earlier that you were tired," Jack says, Yugo wincing as his words are used against him. Jack gives his back a light push. "Don't make me carry you."

Yugo grumbles, staring stubbornly up at the man for a moment before turning on his heel and going to his assigned room with a small pout on his face. The two left wait until his door clicks shut, silence falling over the spacious living room of the King's quarters.

"You sure have taken to your role of guardian well, Jack."

Jack gives the doctor a blank, unimpressed look, making her giggle behind her hand. He crosses his arms over his front. "The boy is just too carefree to leave on his own."

"Yes, yes, my apologies."

Jack grunts as the woman packs away her things into her case. There's a silence between them, broken only by the shuffling of medical gear, before Jack sighs again. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Aki."

Aki Izayoi simply smiles and waves her hand. "It was nothing. I just had an evening of paperwork planned, nothing important. When you call me sounding so frazzled, you can figure out what takes priority."

"I was _not_ frazzled."

Aki shakes her head in light amusement, clicking her case safely shut and placing it on the floor next to the sofa.

Jack sits down heavily in an armchair, letting out a sigh. "There's really nothing wrong?"

Aki shook her head. "I didn't sugarcoat anything I said to Yugo. He really appears to be fine. It'd be easier to tell with some more tests, but…"

"Not for a while," Jack answers with a frown.

"That would be for the best," Aki says, a dark look flashing over her face as she thinks back to the puncture marks on the boy's forearms when he had first been brought to her…

* * *

 _Jack bringing a gaunt teenage boy in a hospital gown to her out of nowhere one evening was about the last thing she had expected. He looked a bit skittish, glancing around her office nervously like he wasn't supposed to be here, yet was anyway._

" _This is Aki Izayoi," Jack said to the boy, whose head had snapped over to him. "She's a doctor, the one I trust the most. She won't hurt you."_

 _Warning signals had started ringing immediately just from how Jack addressed and described her. More went off when she caught how the boy's face had twisted in discomfort when the word 'doctor' had left the man's mouth. He had marginally relaxed at the reassurement that she wouldn't hurt him._

 _Discreetly, she looked him over once more. When she spotted the bloody foot he wasn't standing on, the glaring red circles around his wrists and ankles, the signals only blared louder and louder. And the way he seemed to be refraining from hiding behind Jack but didn't stray too far from him._

 _Instead of immediately asking questions like she wanted to, Aki put on a smile and calmly stood up. "Bringing me patients personally sure is a new one for you, King."_

 _Jack only grunts in response. Aki stops just beyond arm's length from the boy, smiling reassuringly. She holds out a hand to him. "Like you just heard, I am Aki Izayoi, but you can call me Aki. What's your name?"_

 _The boy seems taken back at her actions, glancing at her hand and back to her eyes again. Likely a Commons then, though Aki had already been quite sure of that, going by all the signs she was used to seeing reflected on the boy's body and reactions._

 _He did take her hand, grasping it in a way that said he wasn't used to polite handshakes, grip a bit tight and moving it up and down awkwardly. He didn't look away from her gaze, however. "I'm Yugo. Uh, nice to meet you."_

 _A genuine laugh came from her at the greeting that seemed to have been almost tacked on, like he had to remind himself to say it. "Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I look you over? I promise I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable."_

 _That foot definitely needed a look at quickly. She couldn't tell if it was still bleeding or where the wound was, but all possible ways it could have gotten there that surfaced in her head told her sooner was very much better than later. Then there were the puncture holes left from needles she saw on his arms…_

' _God, Jack, what kind of kid have you brought to me, and what have you gotten into.'_

 _Yugo looked a bit hesitant, curling a hand over his wrists and giving Jack a quick glance._

" _Jack can of course come too if you'd like. And the moment you say no, I'll stop everything I'm doing, I promise."_

 _Jack gives an affirmative nod when Yugo looks up at him. Finally, he nods himself. "Okay."_

 _Aki smiles again. "Follow me then."_

 _She leads them to her private examination room down the hall outside her office, that only she had regular access to and no outside surveillance. It was spacious, but not enough to echo, and almost homely. A potted plant here and a pair of green curtains there leaving it not looking quite so sterile but still professional. The boy seems to relax slightly as they enter, looking around curiously._

 _She directs Yugo to hop up on one of the pallets as she washes and sterilizes her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees how Jack stands near while the boy hops up, only stepping away once he's sitting comfortably._

 _Yugo looks over to her, pulling down the hospital gown he was wearing. Aki wondered where she could get her hands on some proper clothes for the poor boy. Maybe Jack already had something in mind._

 _Aki pulls out one of the blankets she keeps in a cupboard, a soft light green one, and brings it with her when she rolls over on her chair to the end of the bed. She hands it over to Yugo, who takes it with a somewhat confused but grateful look. She gestures to his foot. "Could I have a look?"_

 _Yugo moves it to her gingerly. He jolts to as the gown slides up more and quickly moves to lay the blanket in a heap over his legs, cheeks pink in embarrassment. Aki, already expecting this, keeps her eyes on her equipment, pretending to go through it. When the boy stops moving around does she turn to him again._

 _Aki looks over the wound, brow furrowed. "Seems you stepped in some glass. There are still shards in there I will have to take out."_

" _T-take out?" he nervously repeats._

" _With a pincer. They can't be left in there, but I promise I'll be as careful as I possibly can."_

 _Yugo's eyes follow after her as Aki gets up to get the pincer and a tray to put the pieces in before sitting down again._

" _Just tell me if it hurts or you want a break," she says, pincer in hand and metal tray on a stand next to her. Yugo warily eyes the metal object in her hand, but nods his head resolutely for her to start._

 _It's slow going, but Yugo doesn't complain. He winces and let's out a whimper here and there, but otherwise stays quiet and still, stubbornly shaking his head 'no' every time Aki asks if she should stop. He's firmly not looking in her direction, hands wrung in the soft blanket laid over his lap and shaking just a little._

" _How old are you, Yugo?"_

" _Oh, uh fourteen," he stumbles to answer, glancing at her like he was unsure whether to look at her while they were talking or not._

 _She wasn't looking away from her work aside from a quick glance, so she wasn't offended. Hmm, next topic here would usually be where he lived, but that seemed a bit of a sore spot right now. "Do you like dueling?"_

 _Aki finds out she chose the right question when his face brightens up almost right away as he nods. "Yeah! It's a lot of fun, especially riding duels! I kinda wish me and Rin could have one each- oh Rin is my best friend! She's really strong!"_

" _Oh?"_

 _Yugo nods, and when Aki glances up, he's almost glowing as he talks about this girl. "She's beaten me lots of times, but I've won a lot too! We've dueled so much we've forgotten the score-" his voice cuts of with a pained hitch in his voice as Aki dug out a particularly nasty piece._

" _Sorry, do you want a break?" Aki asks, the glass hitting the metal tray with a clink._

" _N-no, I'm fine," he says, straightening up and puffing out his chest, even though there are tears in the corner of his eyes._

" _Very well." Even though she says this, Aki takes a moment to clean off excess blood from the pincer before resuming._

" _Jack comes here to be treated by me," she says offhandedly, "Sprains, sores, normal colds, whatever you can think of."_

 _Aki leans in a bit to mock whisper to the boy, who's now looking at her in interest. "If you ask me, I think he might be scared of doctors."_

 _It did the trick, Yugo snorting and quickly covering his mouth with his hand as he giggles, nervous tension running out like water from a watering can. He looked much more like the child he really was._

" _I am not scared of doctors. How stupid…" Jack mutters where he stands, leaned silently against the wall next to the door. Out of the way but still within the boy's eyesight, Aki realised. How cute._

" _You keep telling yourself that," Aki says, ignoring the irritated look directed at her back. She knew he wasn't, of course, he just preferred that if someone had to look over him, it be someone he trusts and knows. Didn't mean she couldn't poke fun at him sometimes._

" _Done." She leans back, seeing blue eyes widen, surprised over how quick it went. Aki stands up. "Still okay?"_

 _Yugo nods quickly as Aki goes to get two bowls of water and get a soft rag. He tries to flex his foot only to flinch when pain flares up and more blood leaks out._

" _Try not to move it too much, it needs time to close." Aki gently chastise as she sits back down, bowls in place on her table. He nods, face still screwed up from the jolt of pain. Aki soaks the rag in water before carefully cleaning off the blood._

" _Are you and Jack friends?" Yugo asks. He looks more relaxed again, eyes looking lighter and almost starting to sway in place before stopping himself to not disturb her work._

" _Mmm, I suppose you could call us that," Aki answers, dunking the rag to wash out the blood and turning the water red. She wrings it out and dunks it in another bowl with clean water, repeating the process. "We've known each other for years now, before he became King."_

 _Yugo looks surprised at this. "Really?"_

 _Aki nods. "I do trips down to the Commons on occasion, offering my skills as a doctor for free. We ran into each other a few times that way."_

" _Wow…" Yugo sounds genuinely awed over this. He smiles, the brightest she's seen him look since she laid eyes on him. It looked very natural on his face. "You're a really good person!"_

 _Aki blinks in surprise at the genuine sentiment. There was no hidden motive in his voice, just stating matter of factly that he thought she was nice. She smiles, the gesture a tad softer and genuine than her previous ones._

" _Did they give you something odd? To drink or by injection," she asks carefully as she finishes up and starts bandaging the wound after double-checking there were no glass pieces she had somehow missed._

" _Umm, I don't think so. I just felt very tired or passed out when they put anything in." As he says this, hands move to subconsciously cover his lower arms, folded against his stomach. "Think the food was normal though."_

 _Sedatives only, then. There might have been something else, but she saw no obvious signs as of yet. Keeping tests to the minimum would be the best for now._

" _Oh, but I got shocks," Yugo says suddenly. He doesn't notice how Aki and Jack abruptly stills. He runs a hand over his head, ruffling his hair. "To my head, it hurt a lot and I get a bit hazy during it and usually collapse. But it doesn't hurt for long after, just some headaches that I sleep off."_

" _I see," Aki says, forcing her voice to remain steady and her hands to keep working. She finishes dressing the wound, Yugo pulling the foot to him on the bed and running his fingers curiously over the bandages. "May I have a quick look at your head?"_

 _Yugo eyes her dubiously, running his hand through the blue strands almost protectively as he leans away. "You're not gonna shave it, right…?"_

 _It almost makes Aki snort. Almost. A smile pulls at her lips regardless, a huffed cut-off laugh coming from behind her that the boy doesn't seem to realise having come from Jack._

" _No, no, I won't need to do that. I just want to check that there's no obvious damage."_

 _Still looking suspicious, Yugo nods. He sits quietly as Aki turns his head here and there and parts his hair to look at his skull or presses down on certain areas. "Tell me if it hurts anywhere or feels uncomfortable when I apply pressure somewhere."_

" _It doesn't hurt." A hand go up to tap near his temples. "Something usually hurt around here when they jammed that damn helmet on me, though."_

 _Aki finds small marks that looked like someone had pressed something sharp against the skin for long periods of time, and has to take a slow, calming breath to soothe the rising anger inside her. She looks over to Jack now that the boy couldn't see her face. His expression has darkened, eyes looking somewhere that wasn't here._

 _His eyes meet her demanding ones. He mouths a word that makes her blood run cold and boil in anger at the same time._

' _Roger.'_

 _Roger. Of course it was that slimy excuse of a human being. Aki could not think of a worse man for this boy to end up in the clutches of, nor one she despised more._

 _In the back of her mind, something slithered and rustled. Aki shushed it. Later, she promised._

 _She misses Yugo flinching and his eyes jumping around the room._

 _After a bewildered look from Yugo when she asked if he was aware of any allergies, she gave him ointment for the rough circles around his wrists and ankles. As she's showing him how to apply the ointment, he starts to hiss and have to stop himself from pulling his arms away from her. "Is that supposed to sting like hell?"_

" _It's because your skin is so dry and raw. After a while it will stop hurting if you keep applying the salve, don't worry."_

 _He looks dubious and not very happy but nods with no other voiced complaints. The boy is certainly more well-behaved than some kids she had treated in the past. Perhaps in part because of his lack of experience with doctor visits leaving him unsure how to act in this new situation. Or whatever he had been put through before Jack discovered his soft side and got him here. Aki was sure to interrogate the man thoroughly as soon as she got the chance._

 _Aki sits up straight and rolls back a bit. "There, all done. Are you doing alright?"_

" _Y-yeah! Uh, thank you," Yugo says, looking awkward but still grateful._

" _You're welcome. You're free to go now, just remember to keep applying that salve and try to keep your wrists and ankles in the fresh air. Don't put too much strain on your foot until it's healed, it's preferred if you kept from standing up too much. It's supposed to itch as it heals, but if pus starts coming from it or the pain gets worse, come to me right away."_

 _The last part was aimed at both Yugo and Jack, Aki rolling back further to look at the man listening, his purple eyes widening a tiny bit. The words had another meaning, in a way. That she was in on this whole ordeal whether he wanted her to or not. Jack looked her in the eye and nodded his head in gratitude._

 _Yugo moves to slide off the pallet, but looks at the blanket Aki had given him. He starts to take it off. "Oh, this thing…"_

" _You can keep it for now, if you'd like," Aki says before he can pull it off himself completely. Blue eyes look at her in surprise and Aki only smiles in response. "I have spares. You can give it back later, once you've got some proper clothes."_

 _No doubt he would feel much more comfortable walking around with something more covering him than just that hospital gown on._

 _Yugo gets down and, after a moment of consideration, wraps the blanket around his shoulders. His eyes linger on the fabric for a second, eyes softening and turning a bit somber. He gripped it a bit tighter around himself. Aki was concerned at the sight, but refrained from asking._

" _If there's nothing else, we're going," Jack cuts in, stepping away from the wall and to the door opening it. Yugo jumps at his voice, hurrying over as best he could while limping, bare feet pattering against the floor. He goes out first into the hall at Jack's gesture. "Thank you for your help, Aki."_

" _It's my job, don't mention it." Even as she says this, she looks sharply at Jack as she follows them the short distance to get back to her office, saying certainly but with no words that 'We are going to talk about this'._

 _The man only nods in response before turning and walking off again, Yugo looking back at her before quickly following. Aki noticed with not slight amusement that Jack was walking slower than usual, so the limping boy could comfortably walk next to him._

 _It tickled her so much she couldn't help but keep standing outside her office, hand resting on the doorknob. The sight of the Duel King holding back on his usual long strides just so a child that just reached up to his chest could keep up with him was one she would never forget. Nor let Jack forget any time soon._

 _Before they veer off down another hall and behind the corner, Yugo looks back at her and, seeing her still looking their way, waves goodbye with a smile._

 _Aki blinks in surprise and finds herself waving back, even caught off-guard by the innocent gesture._

 _Then, the hall was empty._

 _And the slithering started again. Aki pulled open her office door and slipped inside, shutting it with a soft click._

" _It's unlike you to be curious about humans this quickly… Black Rose."_

 _Her dragon hums as it rises to the forefront of her mind._ _ **"Like us."**_

" _In what way?" She sits back down at her desk, but with no real intention of doing any work. She was frankly a bit drained after that debacle._

" _ **He heard me. A dragon's child, that one. They're calling out for him."**_

 _Aki leans back in her chair, listening intently to her unusually chatty dragon. Well, in that she wasn't only talking about violence. "The one calling to him, is it his dragon?"_

 _Black Rose chuckles, satisfaction emanating off her._ _ **"Correct. They're powerful, more than me and Red Demon's. They won't stand to be separated from their hatchling for much longer."**_

 _Aki frowns, tapping a finger against the armrest. That sounded ominous… Might be a bad idea to leave alone._

" _Do you know how Jack found him?"_

 _Black Rose curls up in amusement at the question, wines and petals rustling._ _ **"Something called out to the boy. And Red Demon's noticed him after that. Panicked and scared, running for freedom, like a little caged bird."**_

 _That would explain it, but Red Demon's was about as likely to care about other humans as Black Rose was, so very unlikely. But it seemed Yugo was an exception._

 _With a sigh, Aki gets up from her chair again. "At least he's safe now, before something terrible happened."_

" _ **Even if we had done nothing, he would have been rescued eventually."**_

 _Aki stops in front of her door, frowning. "What do you mean?"_

" _ **Pack mates look out for each other at all cost. It just so happens that these one's masters are quite close as well."**_ _Black Rose seems to be holding back a delighted laugh._ _ **"The carnage that they would have caused, had they been forced to come here when the boy's cries grew too loud or cut out completely… it's a pity we won't get to see it."**_

 _Despite herself, a small shiver traveled through her at the tone in her dragon's voice._

' _It'd be nice if nothing occurred…'_

 _The sentiment felt naive before she even finished the thought._

* * *

Aki takes a sip of the cup of coffee in her hand. "So, any idea yourself on what happened?"

Jack doesn't say anything, frowning down into his own cup. Aki waits, taking small sips and looking at the skyline of the city outside the windows.

"Aki, what do you think of telepathy?"

The question sounded so odd coming from him, it took her a good while to even formulate a response as she stared blankly. Jack doesn't seem to care, just waiting for her answer, eyes never leaving his drink.

"...Well, I might be capable of it on a small scale, but I don't know much or how to explain it. Nor of others with similar powers." She puts her cup down on its saucer on the coffee table. "Why the sudden inquiry? You've never paid much mind to psychic powers before."

"I asked him a while back why Roger locked him up."

Aki straightens in her seat, attention now focused fully on her long-time friend. "Did he tell you?"

Jack nods, brow furrowed. "You remember the girl he talked about the day you examined him?" the man puts down his cup too, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. He continues after Aki nods. "Security came after them both one night. After they were told they'd let the girl go free if Yugo came willingly, he sent her away."

Aki frowns, puzzled. "Sent away?"

Jack shakes his head, looking slightly exasperated. "He doesn't know how he did it. Just that he apparently sent her to another dimension."

"...Jack. I know you aren't into jokes," she ignores the annoyed look sent her way, "So excuse me if I can't tell if you're messing with me or not."

"I had a hard time believing what he was talking about myself, but," he sighs, "It was the look in his eyes. I couldn't see a hint of deceit in him anywhere. He said that there were three other worlds besides our own, and that he had friends in each one that he could talk to telepathically."

Aki attempts to absorb his words, or look for any hint of Jack suddenly developing a sense of humour. But there was nothing.

"You're serious."

Jack only nods. Then, his expression turn grim. "Aki, when did Roger get here?"

Aki frowns, sensing the mood change. "Three years ago."

"And his lack of background before then has been noted."

"Yes, but-" Red eyes widen as it clicks in her head. "You mean he came from another world?"

"The Fusion Dimension, is what Yugo told me he would be from." Jack's eyes move and linger on the boy's bedroom door. "One of his friends said their homebase, Academia, should have sent an agent over here in preparation for an invasion at least two years ago. Another one's home has already fallen into ruin thanks to them."

Aki bites on her thumbnail, mind whirling at the things she's being told. It matched up. Roger's arrival always made her suspicious, along with the Real Solid Vision technology he brought with him. But if the scum was here for such a horrendous reason...

"You're making a familiar face there, Aki."

Red eyes sharp as the thorns on her dragon flicker up to him, face screwed up in barely subdued fury. She grunts. "No one important is here."

Jack makes a half-offended noise but stays quiet otherwise. He picks up his cup again and take a sip. Aki sinks into her seat a bit further, eyes straying up to the ceiling. "Things are turning out to be a lot more complicated than I ever thought they could be."

"An understatement to say the least."

Black Rose is laughing lowly, excited for the chaos in the upcoming future. Rubbing the corner of her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, Aki sighs.

When she looks back at Jack, she notices he suddenly looks… almost tired. Drained, in a way.

Aki's brow furrow. "How about you, Jack? Are _you_ alright?"

Purple eyes flick over to her shortly before looking outside again. "I am fine." He's quiet for a moment, and Aki waits. "...I'm just impressed he's back on his feet so quickly after that."

'That', being the state Yugo had been in when Jack had called her and when she had practically flown through the door. Even through the phone, Aki had heard the boy, sobbing and hiccuping and mumbling gibberish. By the time she had gotten there in record time, he was calmer, but still near unconsolable, still crying and gripping onto Jack like a lifeline where they sat in a heap on the floor.

Even so, she had been able to make out a few words as she tried her best to make him breathe properly and calm down.

" _Where did they go- They're nowhere- nowhere no-"_

It took some time and a lot of gentle urging and soft words, but Yugo did manage to look them in the eye. Shimmering with tears and red rimmed and looking so distressed Aki worried he was having a panic attack.

She didn't know what he saw, for neither of them managed to get a word out before his eyes slide shut and he crumbled to the floor.

"...Was the people he couldn't hear his friends from the other worlds?"

"That's what I figured too," Jack sighs. "They've been together every day for over two years, I suppose you can't blame him."

Aki nods in agreement. She couldn't imagine what suddenly loosing such a connection would be like. When she likened it to the possibility of never being able to speak to Black Rose again, she couldn't quite keep the shiver of discomfort at bay.

* * *

"I'm going to Standard."

No response. Not that she expected one.

Serena looks at the sleeping figure on the bed for a while longer, slowly rising up and down. She thought he was making fun of her when he turned his back to her to sleep, but somehow it was easier to talk with him facing away from her.

"I heard from the spy sent back from Standard that there are Xyz refugees there." Her hands clench tight over her lap. "If I find and defeat them, the Professor will have to admit my strength."

Yuri doesn't show any sign of being awake to hear her, only sound coming from him is soft inhales and exhales.

Serena doesn't know why she's talking about this when Yuri can't even hear her. Not to matter why she's even talking to _Yuri._ Why did she even think to tell him about it when she spotted him in the hallway?

She gets up, deciding she had stayed long enough that he wasn't faking being asleep. She walks over to the desk and moves aside the chair pushed up against it, getting down on her knees and crawling underneath. She reaches over to the plank closest to the wall by the left table leg, pushing down on it until it pops out. She picks it up and sets it aside, peering into the space under the floorboards. The corner of the decoy cardboard box is what she first sees, and promptly ignores, reaching inside. Her fingers grab around until it finds a smaller, wooden box that she promptly grabs hold of and pulls out.

Removing the lid, she finds the spare key to Yuri's bedroom door. It was near identical to the one for Serena's room, just the teeth were different. Same round, detailed top, just as thick and heavy in her hand. Hidden in the same place as her own spare key.

Serena palms it, puts the lid on the box back on and returns it to its place under the floor. She's a bit hasty when crawling back out from under the desk though, and slams her head in the desk when she tries to get up. Something clatters to the floor.

Serena bites back the pained yelp that almost escaped, gingerly holding her aching head. She stays quiet, listening for any sign that the commotion woke Yuri up. But the deep breathing continues without interruption.

Carefully this time, Serena crawls out from under the desk, putting the key in her pocket as she moves. Her hand brushes up against something on the floor, making her look over.

It's a book. Leather bound with a leather strap and button that looked like it was supposed to be holding it closed, but had clicked open in the fall. It wasn't too thick, but not overly thin either. What looked like bookmarks stuck out from the top, quite far apart from each other.

She picks it up as she gets back on her feet, meaning to put it back on the desk, when a flash of colour within the pages catches her eye. She pauses, staring at it.

…Would Yuri be mad if she looked through his things?

Yeah. But he was the one who had it out in the open. And she didn't really care if he got irritated or not.

Serena turns it open at the beginning.

And blinks.

Flowers. Petals and leaves, pressed and held into place with tape decorated the quiet thick pages. On the page she was on, it was full of red in all sorts of shades, carefully taped into place on the surprisingly thick page. Turning the page, some orange and more leaves turned up, until the flowers became blue, white and yellow. Flicking further turned up purple, violet and almost black petals and flowers.

Some looked fresher than others, not having been in here as long as the others. Serena was a bit surprised when she could recognise some of the complete flowers or a particularly weird petal as ones she had seen in Yuri's garden.

Text was written next to the pressed greenery in swirly handwriting she didn't bother trying to read, but she guessed they were names of the plants.

The book wasn't full, as she flipped through it she eventually reached bare pages. The colours had long started blending together since, looking less overly neat and more like an attempt of neatness had been made.

"What's even the point," Serena mutters to herself, mindful of her volume. "You can't do anything with this kinda thing anyway."

Serena shuts the book and clicks the button back in place to hold it closed. Despite her words, she puts the book down carefully before walking over to the door.

Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, she glances back. Yuri hasn't moved, still sleeping. Serena opens the door and steps out, locking it again with a soft click.

* * *

 _/I can't_ _ **believe**_ _I missed out on Yuto wearing my clothes.\_

 _~It was hilarious!~_

 _{Quite the bold act from our dear phantom.}_

 _[Can we drop it. Please.]_

 _/Please tell me someone got a picture.\_

 _~I told him to get one so we all could see but he said no.~_

 _/Yuto you killjoy.\_

 _[I am not sharing that with more people than needed.]_

 _/But a whole stadium saw you! No fair! Do it again later!\_

 _[No. Your clothes are too uncomfortable.]_

 _/What's with that, stingy.\_

 _[Too many colours.]_

 _/Well sooorry for liking some colour in my life, Mr. Dour!\_

 _[Do-?!]_

 _~Pffthahaha!~_

 _{Well, that is one type of description.}_

 _[I wear colour sometimes!]_

 _{Black is not a colour.}_

 _[...I wear purple too.]_

 _{Oh, lovely, I'll be sure to get you a lavender shirt in the future.}_

 _[Guh-]_

 _/It'll match his hair Yuri, do it!\_

 _~Hahahaha!~_

 _[...Leave me alone.]_

* * *

"I didn't know you were into cosplay, Yuto."

Yuto flinches, looking up at Ruri who's eyeing him with an amused expression. He had barely walked into the inner parts of LDS, and he was already under attack.

"N-no, that was-"

Ruri dramatically turns away, hands held behind her back. "Aaahah, maybe I should go ask my doubles if I can switch clothes with them too. It looked pretty fun."

Yuto flounders. "It wasn't, I mean- I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but it was a bit of a last minute decision, so-"

"Suddenly hit with the urge to impersonate your Standard double?" Shun adds, amusement actually slightly visible on his face. "And here I thought you were a planning type of person."

Yuto's eyes swivel between the two, unable to come up with a retort at the teasing he was put under. Neither Kurosaki seemed willing to take pity on him, Ruri tittering and Shun having a ghost of a smile on his face.

He sighs. "Yeah yeah, laugh at me. Not like I haven't had enough of that today."

Ruri looks at him, mouth and smile hidden behind her hand. "Your other two?"

"Yugo wouldn't stop cackling for a good while, even after the duel started I could still hear him."

Ruri giggles again. What sounded like a snort came from Shun, but when both Yuto and Ruri snapped their eyes over to him, he had turned his face away and was completely quiet.

Shun coughs. "Anyway, this isn't the time for this." He looks to Yuto, eyes now grim and making him straighten. Ruri quickly turns somber, gaze falling down to the floor. "Something happened while you were gone."

Yuto turns alarmed almost right away, walking closer to the siblings. "What happened? Why didn't you contact me?"

"Nothing happened to us, don't worry. And we didn't want to bother you," Ruri answers, gripping her left arm with her right hand.

Yuto frowns. "What happened?"

"Someone was carded." Yuto's eyes, wide and alarmed, snap over to Shun. Ruri's head hangs low. "The security cameras caught someone being carded by a girl in a hooded cloak. He used Xyz."

Yuto's stomach sinks as the possible implication slowly hits him. Ruri's hands are shaking now, even clenched tight as they were in an attempt to hide it, fingers digging into her bare arm. "But that could mean…"

"They're probably here for us," Ruri says, voice heavy. "The boy, Shijima Hokuto, was competing in the tournament. The Fusion user probably saw them on the screens playing the duels, and assumed he was one of us."

"We don't know that for sure," Yuto says in an attempt to comfort her, despite doubt clawing at him. "I mean, why would Academia send forces to catch only three Xyz users?"

"We don't know. But she was seen watching the duel of another Xyz user today," Shun says. He looks sour. "Akaba Reiji has forbidden us from intervening when he deals with it. And we only know because Ruri was there as they watched the footage."

The notion that Shun didn't believe they would have been told if Ruri hadn't been there wasn't said, but lingered heavy in his voice.

Yuto frowns, chewing on his lip. "Yuri hasn't mentioned anything of anyone being sent here yet. But he's also been sleeping for the most part of yesterday…"

He doubted Yuri wouldn't mention something like that. It's more likely he just didn't know.

Yuto notices that Ruri is still shaking a little, a complicated expression on her face that almost looked haunted. Is she feeling that bad over this? "Ruri? Are you okay?"

She flinches, hand falling away from her arm to hold her clenched fist in front of her. Her eyes looked dark, from seeing something frightening or anger, he wasn't sure.

Shun frowns, taking a step closer to her but doesn't touch her. "There's one more thing."

Yuto quickly looks up at him, glancing between the siblings. "What is it?"

"The girl who carded Shijima Hokuto," Shun looks down in concern at his little sister, who's now frowning as he talks. "She looked exactly like Ruri."

Yuto's eyes widen. Oh.

 _Oh no._

* * *

"President."

Reiji looks up as Nakajima enters his office. He had work to do, too much to sort out and plan for. Nakajima knows this, and the man would also not bother him if it wasn't something important.

"What is it?"

Nakajima doesn't look very happy to be interrupting. "One of the people from Xyz wishes to talk to you."

Reiji's eyes go to the doorway behind the man when a dark shape fills it. His mind automatically registers him as Sakaki Yuya, but another glance over says differently.

Yuto, his mind helpfully supplies to him, looks silently into the room, face blank. "If it's a bad time, I can come back later. But I think we're overdue a talk."

Reiji leans back in his chair and pushes up his glasses. "There's no better time than now. Come in."

Nakajima doesn't look happy, but bows and excuses himself. Yuto walks up to Reiji's desk, cloak fluttering behind him like an overly large shadow. He stands there silently, simply looking at Reiji, who proceeds to do the same. This would be the first time they have a proper conversation, now that he thinks about it.

Much like Ruri with Hiiragi Yuzu and Rin, he looked eerily identical to Sakaki Yuya. But now that he had the opportunity to look at the boy properly, he could single out differences. The hair and eyes were the obvious ones, but he could sense a different air about him compared to Sakaki Yuya. Weightier, more weary, but still ready to fight at a moment's notice if need be.

A trait that Reiji, Standard as a whole, was in need of.

They sit and stand in silence, Reiji waiting for the other to speak, fingers folded in his lap. If he had sought him out, then he must have a reason.

Finally, Yuto opens his mouth to speak. "I heard from Ruri and Shun. That someone was carded."

Reiji's brow furrowed, just barely enough to be noticeable. Having Kurosaki Ruri present when they watched the footage was not ideal, making the already distrusting group even more paranoid. He had no intention of withholding it from them for long, but he would have liked some more time. Nothing to do about it now.

"I see," he says, pushing up his glasses with a finger. He tries not to think of Shijima Hokuto's frightened face, frozen in time on a small slip of paper. His student, his responsibility, his failure.

"What will you do with them?" Yuto asks. The light frown on his face was the only change in his expression.

"At the moment, we are putting all our resources into reversing the effect." Reiji answers, seeing no reason to withhold that information. He pushes up his glasses. "With utmost care."

Yuto nods after a moment of silence. Then, his eyes turn almost somber. "...What about his family? Or friends?"

Ah, so he was concerned about that. A surprising show of compassion, going from his appearance and dueling style, from what his opponents had reported.

Reiji takes a moment to answer, folding his fingers and placing them on his desk. "Currently, he is only reported as 'missing'. When it comes to it, we will reveal the truth to his family and take responsibility for what happened."

Grey eyes blink in mild surprise. "You're acting more accountable for this than I expected."

Reiji doesn't answer, letting the boy draw his own conclusions. Instead, there was something he was curious about himself. He closes his eyes. "In terms of responsibility, it appears you have taken on some in regard to Sakaki Yuya." Purple eyes open to look keenly at the boy. "Enough to duel in his place."

Yuto barely hides his flinch, but not fast enough for Reiji not to notice. Grey eyes slide down to the side, looking away from Reiji's gaze for the first time since he stepped inside his office.

"...If he hadn't come to the park, he could have still been awake now. I didn't want him to be disqualified because of me."

"So you feel guilty because of what happened?" Reiji pushes up his glasses, gaze not leaving the boy. "Are you that close, or did something happen that we didn't see?"

An eye twitches, but otherwise no obvious reaction. Yuto looks him in the eye again. "I don't know what happened that night. What I want to know, is what you plan to do to fight against Academia."

Reiji allows the conversation shift, having seen the topic coming. At the sight of accusation forming in his eyes, Reiji guesses the siblings must have given him some information.

"With this tournament, I want to find warriors who can fight against Academia."

Yuto's eyes narrow slightly. "Warriors?"

"The Lancers, as they've been dubbed," he responds, leans back in his seat. "The young duelists who have yet to become accustomed to a single way of dueling, have the best potential to fight against our enemy with the only thing unique to us."

Yuto inclines his head, eyes sharp. "Pendulum."

Reiji nods. "They'll take to it better than any of our more experienced duelists."

Yuto looks like he wants to argue for a second, but doesn't, just clenches his jaw.

"And how will Yuya feel about this?" he asks in a low voice, a dark tremor lying undercurrent in his words. "That the summoning method he created will be used for war?"

Reiji closes his eyes for a moment, taking a breath. He knows, even with minimal contact with the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning, what he would think of this. However…

"His feelings do not matter." When Reiji looks back at Yuto, his eyes are hard as iron. "Too much is at stake. Too many lives threatened, to be worried about what one single person will think."

Something seems to flare up behind Yuto's eyes, like a flash of lightning reflecting in them. But the weather was clear and sunny outside the windows behind Reiji. And just as fast as a lightning strike, it was gone, cloaked shoulders slumping slightly.

Reiji folds his hands in his lap. "The warrior from Academia is not here by orders. But soon, forces will arrive to retrieve her." Yuto's head snaps up at his words, eyes alert. "The last part of the tournament will be changed into a Battle Royal, to protect the citizens and avoid panic."

"Are you sending them out to die?" Yuto says, voice rougher with anger. "They won't know, will they? That they're going to fight a war. People will die."

Reiji's hands clench in his lap, but he stands up from his chair and meets Yuto's burning gaze evenly. "I know. But if they can't fight Academia off, then no one can. I am prepared for the consequences."

"They're not," Yuto snaps back. "They don't know anything, and that lack of knowledge will cost them their lives."

"Perhaps." Reiji pushes up his glasses, willing his hands to remain steady at the very real possible consequences thrown at him. There was nothing else he could do in his current position. And to convey that, he had to remain calm. "But neither did the people of Heartland once. And it's a barrier that needs to break."

Yuto seems to tremble in place, looking furious. Finally, he straightens up, hand straying to a red piece of cloth tied around his upper arm. "I'm going out too. I won't let them fight alone."

Quietly, Reiji let's out a sigh, straightening up himself. "I won't stop you. They won't be the only ones out there, and Kurosaki Shun will be there as well, to see if anyone is worthy of joining the Lancers."

Grey eyes narrow slightly at the mention of the name. He nods once, and turns on his heel to walk out of the office without another word.

It's first when the door shuts behind him and he's alone in his office once again, that Reiji lets himself sink down in his chair once more. He rubs at the corner of his eyes, hoping he's made the right decision.

* * *

"Are you really okay now, Yuya?"

Yuya gives Yuzu a reassuring smile. "I'm in tip-top shape! After all that sleeping, I'm itching to go out there again!"

Yuzu looks hard at him for a moment, before finally cracking a smile. "Okay, fine, I'll believe you."

"Make sure not to push yourself too hard," Gongenzaka says roughly next to Yuzu, arms folded over his chest. "It'll be bad if something happened."

"Don't worry! I'll be just fine!" He smiles reassuringly, pulling a small smile from both of them as a result.

They look ahead as Nico shows up with a mic. **"Everyone, thank you for waiting! Now, the 16 finalist will be participating in a Battle Royal!"**

"Huh?" Yuya and Yuzu say at the same time. The crowd goes quiet in surprise, but soon excitement starts to emerge.

" _ **Well then, let me explain the rules! Pendulum cards created by Leo Corporation is hidden across the city. When a duelist has gathered two of them, they are able to duel! They then decide how many to wager in a duel, and the winner get's the losers Pendulum cards!"**_

"Everyone has Pendulum cards?" Yuzu repeats.

 _[Yuya!]_

Yuya jumps, earning a weird look from Yuzu. He laughs awkwardly. "Must be the nerves."

 _/What's wrong, Yuto?\_

" _ **The battle begins at noon! The time limit is 24 hours!"**_

 _[Something bad has happened.]_

 _/Huh?\_

The timer has started and Yuya busies himself with readying his duel disk. Just minutes left.

 _{Bad news.}_

 _/Wait- Yuri you too?\_

 _~What's happening?~_

" _ **Open the gate!"**_

The big gate leading out into the city opens, the audience seats lifting upwards.

 _[From the Fusion Dimension-]{That damn Serena-}_

 _~Gaaahh! We can't make anything out when you try to talk at the same time!~_

" _ **Actiooon…."**_

Yuya grimaces as he gets anxious from all the noise in his head, coupled with the timer ticking down. Mere seconds until it was time.

" _ **Duel!"**_

The clock hits noon, a sound goes off, and Yuya's running along with everyone else.

 _[Academia is coming!]_

And his heart promptly hits his throat.

* * *

*rides by sitting on a skateboard holding a sign that says "I do what I want" before crashing into a tree*

So yeah I put in Aki in here. I like her. No clue if I got her right, so if anyone has any tips on writing her, I'd welcome it, cause I don't want her to be completely out of character. Hope I get Jack right too, I like him but he's hard to write for me ;v;

If I forgot any super important event, I'm sorry, my brain is jumbled up like hell form juggling all the events that's changing and stuff that needs to happen still. Working with many characters that do different things that occasionally match up is hard man, major kudos to people who can do it well.


	29. Re-load

**/Yuya\**

 **~Yugo~**

 **[Yuto]**

 **{Yuri}**

 _"It's still February somewhere in the world!" I shriek, uploading when it's the 1st of march where I live._

 _Yeah don't worry, this isn't march's chapter, I'm just late. It's a whammy of not being sure how to go about the events of the tournament, thus feeling like a video game character walking into an invisible wall, and getting distracted by another thing and falling in love with a poet-reading goth twink. If anyone can guess who it is, congrats, sadly you get nothing for your knowledge. But don't worry, I'm not leaving the Arc V fandom, just feeling a lot of love at the moment. But I've got a lot of it to share and go around, tehe_

 _Anyway, hope ya enjoy_

* * *

Yuya swore internally, head twisting and eyes roving over the streets, desperately trying to catch sight of Yuzu or Gongenzaka.

Amidst running out of the stadium and out into the city, freaking out over Yuto and Yuri's sudden revelation, he'd lost sight of them. They'd both ran off before he could grab hold of them and now he couldn't even catch sight of them.

In other words, it was the worst scenario.

But it wasn't all bleak. Yuya knew these streets and how to get around them, if he just navigated them sensibly, he'd run into them in no time.

Is what he thought, until suddenly the scenery started changing drastically around him.

The buildings disappeared behind cliffs and stone as boiling lava suddenly made the air almost unbearably hot.

And he had no idea where he was anymore.

Yuya screws his face up in frustration, resisting the urge to tug at his hair.

 _Now_ it was the worst-case scenario.

"Guess I'll look for Pendulum cards as I go along," Yuya says to himself. Gotta keep up the act somewhat.

Navigating the rocky cliffs wasn't too difficult, he's been jumping around Action Fields since he was old enough to be allowed in them.

 _[Are you okay, Yuya?]_

 _/Fine, just lost sight of Yuzu and Gongenzaka. I'm gonna look for them.\_

 _[Damn. I'll be going out at the first sight of Academia soldiers. If I run into them, I'll tell you.]_

 _/They're not here yet?\_

 _{A while longer yet. I won't be arriving until much later.}_

 _/You're coming here too, Yuri?!\_

 _{Yes, but I am not an ally, Yuya. If you do happen to see me, which I doubt, run, and take your friends with you.}_

 _/But…\_

Even if they didn't _meet_ , Yuya would know when Yuri got here. He did with Yuto, felt it so clearly, like a puzzle piece he hadn't realised was crooked had righted up and slotted in almost perfectly. Not quite, not until Yuya had seen Yuto, touched him with his hands and drank in the real, solid sight of him.

But if Yuri insisted on them not meeting, that puzzle piece would be left misaligned.

 _/...Are you sure?\_

 _~Doesn't seem very nice. Wouldn't meeting then and there be a better idea?~_

 _[The place is filled with surveillance cameras, so I don't think it'd be easy…]_

 _~Wait, you agree with him?~_

 _[Not fully, I don't like it either, but… I can see where Yuri's coming from.]_

 _{Anyway, my mission is to get the girls, but more specifically Hiiragi Yuzu.}_

Yuya felt his throat close up while he's kneeling down and reaching for a Pendulum card on the edge of a small cliff. Yuzu. Oh god she really was being targeted. And Yuri had orders to kidnap her while the tournament was going on.

 _{Our little incompetent spy is to get Serena back, but from what I've seen, I'm dubious how focused he'll be on that.}_

 _[He'll probably aim for Shun.]_

 _{Most likely.}_

 _/Who's Serena?\_

 _{A moron of a girl who decided running off to Standard to likely hunt down the Xyz refugees, causing the Obelisk Force to descend on the place to retrieve her, that's who.}_

 _/...Okay.\_

 _~Wait, isn't that your friend over there?~_

 _{We are not friends, what a foolish idea. But I've mentioned her before.}_

 _~Suuure.~_

 _[Is she an enemy? Do we need to be careful?]_

 _{...I would not call her an inherently evil person. More mislead, too well-fed by Academia's ideals to see past her own nose and desires. I don't know how she'd react if she finds out the truth about the invasion, however. She's not weak, so watch it if she comes after you.}_

 _/Then, wouldn't there be a chance to convince her that what Academia is doing is wrong?\_

 _{As I said, I have no clue. Only that she's desperate for the Professor to acknowledge her strength. It's why I haven't told her anything or even given hints. I don't want the Professor breathing down my neck.}_

 _(What, so you have considered telling her?]_

 _{Shut up.}_

 _~Anyway, what about Rin?! Is she okay?~_

 _/Rin's in the stands with the rest of the audience. She should be safe there.\_

 _{The Obelisk Force has orders to get both her and Ruri. Mine is, as always, more of a stealth kidnapping. Get them without anyone seeing me or them being taken away.}_

Yuya felt a sliver of unease run through him at the words, feeling how Yuto and Yugo went through a similar moment. Wait until they're alone and take them away with no one the wiser, left wondering where their friend, sister, daughter, had disappeared to.

 _{...I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't actually happen.}_

 _/Yeah, yeah, sounds good, thanks.\_

 _{Naturally.}_

Yuya shakes himself free of the unease that had settled over his body like a heavy veil. He had to find Yuzu, right now she was the most important. Gongenzaka could hopefully handle himself, and if trouble did arise before they ran into each other, Yuya had no doubt he would rush off to find them too.

He picks up his second Action Card.

"Now you have two cards, right?"

Yuya startles at the voice, gaze darting up to two laughing figures standing on top of a hill.

The one wearing a bandana smiles mockingly. "We from Ryozanpaku School will be your opponent."

"We'll make you taste plenty of humiliation," says the one with braided hair, similar smile and mocking tone of voice.

Yuya grits his teeth. This was the last thing he needed right now. But the name of their school…

 _/Yuto, wasn't the duelist you fought in my place from Ryozanpaku?\_

 _[Yeah, why? More people from there?]_

 _/Two of them who want to duel me.\_

 _~Two on one?! What, do they think they can't handle you by themselves?!~_

 _{After Yuto did a number on their number one duelist, maybe so.}_

 _~Hah! As if numbers would help them! Beat them up real good, Yuya!~_

 _[H-hey, no need to go that far-]_

 _{Much as it pains me to agree with Synchro boy… Go destroy them.}_

Yuya becomes aware of the self-assured smile on his face after it's already slid into place. The two on the cliff frown lightly in confusion at his reaction, but doesn't lose their stance.

He had more important things to do, so he couldn't dawdle for too long.

"Duel!"

* * *

Yuzu huffs. The adrenaline from the duel and Halil's fiery attacks may have warmed her up, but the air still felt chilly on her skin. Not as cold as it probably should be, with her complete lack of sleeves and bare upper thighs in this frozen over wasteland. But it would probably be way too dangerous if the temperature was made shifted to emulate it perfectly. Was still cold just looking at the place.

Didn't help that the duelist Gongezaka had been facing, Olga, used winter-themed monsters. Her ace was even covered in ice!

She cries in alarm as Gongenzaka takes the attack meant for her, then again when he's sent back flying and defeated. But his assurance strengthened her. So with her resolve set, she turns back to the duel to begin her turn.

And looking at the icy narwhal, the situation felt slightly familiar.

Olga may use Synchro, she may use ice monsters, but it didn't scare her or her delicate yet strong-willed monsters.

Rin's Synchro summoning had much more force and power behind it. Her monsters, while almost nothing alike, with their delicate figures and giggles as they swept by on their bell-adorned brooms. But they too had an effortless confidence behind them, much like their user.

And Yuzu had been blown away by Rin's winds more than once. She could take a little cold.

* * *

 _~So, did you win?~_

 _/Oh, yeah. Was a bit annoying though, they kept using Flame Ball all the time.\_

Yuya skips up the flight of stairs quickly, having entered the ruin area not long ago. Seeing bits and pieces of the roads scattered around the ancient ruins was an odd sight. Still no glimpse of a fluttering hairband or pink pigtails, however.

 _/An LDS exchange student named Dennis entered in the middle, saying he wanted to join. He stopped them from abusing the Action Cards at least. And he admires dad! I never meet people like that nowadays.\_

Akaba Reiji might respect his dad, but it wasn't quite the same. Not like admiring his entertainment dueling.

Yuya didn't notice the sudden quiet until he'd walked a bit further, slowing down as he realised the others hadn't responded.

 _/Something up?\_

 _[Yuya, that was-]_

 _{Did they wear a god-awful suit and act overdramatically?}_

Yuya stills, uneasiness starting to peak out. _/Yuri, how did you-\_

 _{Dennis is the spy sent in to keep watch over things in Standard and how the mission will go, acting as if he's on your side and doesn't know anything about other worlds.}_

Yuya thinks he might throw up, he's not sure. _/I- I didn't notice at all…\_

 _[It's okay, Yuya, he's been in Heartland too. None of us noticed either. I didn't even know he was here.]_

 _{I didn't even know he'd been sent there. He didn't tell me.}_

 _[Tell you?]_

 _~What Yuri, you're friends with this guy too?~_

 _{...}_

 _/Yuri?\_

 _{I don't- ...Ugh. He's the one I tolerate the most at Academia. Dennis isn't, scared of me, never has been.}_

 _/So you're… old friends?\_

 _{Can you three stop using that word already, my answer won't change.}_

 _~You haven't denied it though.~_

Yuri quiets, Yugo's words having seemingly hit a nerve. Yuya's stopped walking completely now, only having the mind to wander over and lean against a pillar, looking to the outside world like he was taking a break in the shade.

 _/Why don't you like the word? We're friends aren't we?\_

 _{I… suppose.}_

 _~What's with that 'I suppose' shit, after two years of gabbling I'd call us friends at least!~_

 _{It feels inadequate, is all, for how important you three are.}_

Yuya blinks as the words sink in. Then he has to make sure he doesn't slide down the pillar as some emotion he doesn't fully understand fill his chest and causing his heart to skip a beat.

 _{I didn't have 'friends' until you three were suddenly prattling away in my head, whether I liked it or not. It's not something I'm meant to have, in this place.}_

 _~...Why not?~_

Yuri doesn't seem to know what answer to give to that, staying silent for a good while. Yuya breathes silently, looking up at the blue sky above him and at the clouds floating by.

Yuri's voice is subdued, thoughtful, when he finally responds.

 _{...Never considered it, I suppose. The day I was given my future duty was the same day I decided I'd card the Professor myself if it meant keeping you all safe. And at Academia, the Professor's will is the law. What he says goes, and those who disobey are punished. Harshly.}_

Were the clouds spinning? They might be. Or maybe it was Yuya, whirling from new thoughts and feelings he didn't feel equipped to deal with at the moment. He drew his fingertips over the stone pillar he was slumped back against, the gravely and cold sensation slowly taking him back down.

He hadn't realised, how deep Yuri's feelings and motivation ran. And he felt so _stupid._

Yuri couldn't make friends at Academia, because they were scared of him.

Yuri couldn't make friends at Academia, because Yuya, Yuto and Yugo already were. And that meant he would ultimately have to fight against any companions he may have grown close to someday.

Yuya wanted to cry at the unfairness. For how slow he had been to realise. But he didn't, held them back and sucked in a deep breath to ward away the faint stinging in his eyes.

 _/I'm sorry.\_

 _{Stop that, I know exactly where I stand. I'm fine.}_

Somehow, Yuya figured that was a lie, or at least an attempt for Yuri to convince himself. He couldn't find it in himself to refute it, though.

Yugo had no such issue.

 _~Like hell you are, I can hear it from here! We'll just wrangle those friends of yours to our side! No idea thinking so hard about that stuff right now anyway!~_

Yuya feels a bit stunned at the simple reply, and he wasn't the only one. Yuri was more baffled while Yuto quickly got over his own and started to share a budding amusement with Yuya. Leave it to Yugo to give such a simple yet hard to dispute solution.

 _/Not sure how much I agree with the 'beat it out of them', but I can get on board otherwise.\_

 _[Me too.]_

 _{Are you two serious?}_

Yuri sounds incredulous while Yugo snickers happily.

Figuring he's stood still long enough, Yuya pushes away from the pillar to continue his search. He doesn't get far before he hears the sounds of a duel going on.

By the time he's reached it, however, the duel is already over. Though Yuya quickly recognises the winner.

Kurosaki Shun barely gives his three collapsed opponents a second glance as he turns away, long coat fluttering around his legs in the wind. He moves to walk off, when he catches sight of Yuya in the corner of his eyes.

His expression is stern when he turns his head, but it quickly changes to mild surprise and recognition as gold eyes land on him.

"Sakaki Yuya," Kurosaki says in place for a greeting.

Yuya tries smiling, hoping it doesn't look wonky. The other was a bit intimidating. "Hey, you're Kurosaki Shun, right? Yuto's friend."

Kurosaki nods, turning to him as Yuya walks forward to stand in front of him.

Yuya stops, realising something for the first time. He can't help the laugh that comes out of him, making Kurosaki raise a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry, I just realised… This is the first time we've talked, but it doesn't feel like it."

Yuto talked a lot about Shun, and Ruri too. About what he was doing with them that day, or at the moment. What they liked, how they acted, something amusing they did or a thing that had happened to them today. Yuya doesn't think Yuto himself has even realised how often he brings them up. So despite never having been introduced to them, Yuya felt like he somewhat knew them already.

He hadn't felt like that at all during Kurosaki's duel against Sora. Yuto had said, offhandedly, how ruthless and strong Shun was. But the image of the guy Yuya had gotten from Yuto's words hadn't matched up with the one down on the field.

Now though, when they stood on equal ground (somewhat cause man Yuto wasn't joking when he said the guy was tall), that feeling was back. But still mixing with unsureness, Yuya hadn't exactly seen Kurosaki smile or, relax.

Kurosaki blinks at him. Then, his face relaxes from its frown, just a bit, and the ghost of a smile appears.

"I could say the same."

Yuya smiles. "He talks about us?"

Kurosaki actually nearly rolls his eyes before stopping himself halfway, crossing his arms over his chest. "You have no idea."

Yuya has to hold back a loud snort, biting down on the inside of his cheek to not snicker like a maniac. "If it's any consolation, he talks a lot about you and Ruri too."

Kurosaki huffs good-naturedly, something exasperated yet fond flashing by in his face and eyes, and Yuya sees the person Yuto calls his best friend.

"This card's effect allows it to attack you directly!"

The comfortable air is abruptly cut through and broken when a knight-looking monster suddenly shoots a flash of light right at them. Yuya barely manages to duck in time, the strike rushes by, strong gusts of wind following it and pulling at his clothes and hair.

"Slash the Assault Knight can change battle damage to 0."

The attack, going right at another duelist standing to the right of them, is halted in its track by a force field. Three duelists step forward around them, all wearing traditional knight armour, duel disks out and one monster on each of their fields.

"Knight of Duels?" Yuya says in surprise, getting to his feet. He recognises them from the line-up at the start of the Battle Royal.

Shun is frowning again as he stands back up. "These guys don't know when to quit."

One of them smirks mockingly. "These two are talking about such trivial nonsense."

"Let's get them out of our way. My turn, Slash the Assault Knight attacks you directly!"

Yuya and Kurosaki are forced to throw themselves to the side as another slash comes their way. It's once again blocked by the other duelist.

Kurosaki scowls. "They're using this duel as an excuse to hurt me."

"What? Why?!" Yuya asks, feeling very confused.

"Sore losers."

His words seem to tick them off further, the next slash directed with more anger than before. It hits its real target this time, sending Shun flying into a pillar and Yuya off the edge and onto a broken off column. He almost soars over the edge, but manages to grab hold of the edge, hanging off by one hand.

Pulling himself up to chest level took some effort. He watches in worry as Kurosaki is left standing alone, surrounded by opponents and back to the edge. "Kurosaki…"

Movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention. Looking over, he sees a group of three wearing weird uniforms and masks, running along the highway.

"Who are they?"

Then he catches sight of a familiar figure and freezes.

The group stops in front of the duelists. And next to them, looking the same as when Yuya last saw him, Sora stepped forward.

"Sora!" Yuya yells before he can think it through. Any thoughts of him being an enemy or what his presence here meant gone, just relieved that his friend was safe.

But Sora barely spares him a glance, only turning back to look at Kurosaki with what he could only call a predatory look.

Yuya can barely hear him from here, making out things like 'settling the score' and 'not get in their way'. The name 'Obelisk Force' makes his insides go cold and his throat close up.

He snaps back to reality when both Sora and Kurosaki start to walk away.

"Sora! Wait!" Yuya shouts, climbing up on the column and jumping to another, trying to reach them.

He's stopped in his tracks when Kurosaki turns back to look him straight in the eye, gaze fierce.

"I'll handle this," he says across the distance, tone harsh but with an underlying meaning behind it. "You have more important things to do right now!"

Yuya stops abruptly.

Right, this was- …an invasion. It was happening, and he still hadn't found Yuzu. She was the one who was a _target_. He had to find her, and then… he didn't know, not yet, but that was the most important.

So with frustration that he tried to push down, Yuya nodded to Kurosaki, who returned the gesture before disappearing into a temple with Sora. Yuya turned away, hopping back onto the road.

Only to be stopped again by the sound of screaming.

Heart beating so hard it felt painful, Yuya watches with wide eyes as the masked people raise their duel disk. A purple light shines from it, encasing the person it's pointed at. When it fades, the space is empty.

A cruel smile, a mocking wave of the card in their hands, before letting it flutter to the ground in front of the two left. A terrified expression imprinted permanently onto the small object.

 _Stop it_

Yuya's head hurts, images filling his head that he doesn't recognise but cut deep into him regardless. Emotions bubble up into him at what felt like double the speed they should. Fear, anxiety, worry-

 _Anger._

More screaming, abruptly cut off, two more cards join the one on the ground. A scream wants to rip its way out of Yuya's throat.

 _Stop it_

 _Stopistopitstopitstopit-_

Grey cuts through the red filling his vision, despite being far away from him. A similarly furious expression to match his own. Something clicks into place.

And somehow, the anger fizzles out from a searing burn to a hard, pressuring thrum.

Less raging, but no less furious.

They take a step forward.

* * *

One more screen flickers to black, cutting off the audience's view of the lava area. And where Yuzu and that weird other guy had been.

Rin frowns, leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed. Was the technical department so incompetent here they couldn't even keep the audience's only view of the duels working? Or was it on purpose? Every time a screen had cut out, something weird had looked like it had been about to happen.

Rin purses her lips, tapping her fingers against her arm. Something was off. And she was stuck in here. Her gut was screaming at her, a part of her mind scolding her for sitting around and doing nothing.

It could be nothing, she tried telling herself.

But she wasn't one to go against her gut.

Shuzo looks over to her as she rises and gets to her feet. "Rin, where are you going?"

"Bathroom," she says curtly with a nod to them. No one follows her as she walks out of the stands, thankfully.

The halls are completely empty, the only sound being Rin's boots clicking against the floor. She could vaguely remember where the exit was, but thankfully there were signs to lead the way. The way to the bathroom was passed by without a glance.

As she was getting close to the exit, two people in suits standing guard came into view. And wasn't that suspicious.

They catch sight of her as she approaches, one stepping forward with his arm held out. "Sorry miss, you can't go any further. Are you lost? Do you need help getting back to the stands?"

"No," Rin says, voice and expression firm. "I want to go outside."

The other shake their head. "Sorry miss, you can't go out while the Battle Royal is going on."

Rin's brow furrow. "Why not?"

"Safety reasons. Can't have the audience running around in the Action Field. Now, please return to your seat."

One moves as if to lead her back to where she came from. A hand reaches for her shoulder-

Rin grabs the wrist in a tight hold, pulling hard at it. The man yells as he's suddenly yanked forward, not expecting a girl so small to have so much strength in her slim body. His momentum is harshly stopped as a fist is rammed straight into his face, breaking the sunglasses perched on his nose. He slumps to the ground.

"What the hell-" the other starts to shout, but doesn't get to finish before a hard kick is aimed right between his legs. He bends over with a groan and Rin winds up again, ramming her knee right into his gut. The man lets out a guttural groan as he too collapses down to the floor.

She waves her hand offhandedly in the air, finding some blood on her knuckles that she tries to wipe off on her shorts as best she could. Blood never stuck well onto these clothes, made them easier to wash but hard to wipe her hands clean.

It wouldn't be long before more guards descended upon this place, but she didn't plan on sticking around that long.

Rin sprints forward down the hall and toward the exit visible at the end, leaving the guards groaning behind her.

* * *

 _Yusei would be proud of ya, Rin_

 _Man I've been looking forward to that, you guys have no idea_

 _If this chapter feels short, it's because the last few ones have been like 9k, 8k, and 5k words long, while this is just short of 4k long(like 50 words short). I've got a minimum requirement of 2.5k words at least for every chapter, but sometimes I just go to *town* on the chapters and there's no one around to stop me._

 _Uh, thanks for reading, doubly so if ya read my rambly thoughts. I just feel extra talkactive at the moment._


	30. Encounter

*SIGHS LOUDLY*

HI, I'M HERE, GOD I AM TIRED.

Yes, I'm late, I know, but there's reasons for that. See, I've started work! Pretty physical work to boot. On my second day I was hit with a 11 to 8 pm work day(I get extra paid for that dw), I've spent a lot of time carrying a leaf blower on my back blowing away gravel for hours, and fuck me that hurts after a while. My feet have been hurting, muscles aching, I've been tired, and just Not in the mood for writing.  
And thus, why this chapter is late. I've also struggled a bit with this, and I'm still not sure how exactly I feel about it, but I'm content enough to publish it. Plus I didn't want to have this hanging over my head any longer or keep you guys waiting, but I hope you all still like it ;~; If you have any nice words to say about this chapter or story, I'd really appreciate it right now.

I feel better now though after the weekend. I'll get used to this with time, but just as a warning, this might happen again at the end of the month. I'm just tired and not about to throw sleep to work on this, my health is more important and all that you know? I hope you all will bear with me on this during this transition period, I'll continue to do my best.

* * *

" _ **Wait."**_

The group of three stop abruptly at the chilling voice cutting through the air. Or was it voices?

They spot one figure first, wearing a white jacket over their shoulders. A choked sound from one in their group makes the other two look back, spotting another figure with a long, dark cloak flowing in the wind.

" _ **I-"**_

" _ **I-"**_

Shivers ran through them at the synchronised words, sounding like they were echoing.

" _ **Will not forgive you."**_

The three quickly regain their composure. "What, some more prey who want to be dealt with?"

Fire and flame throwers are thrown at them, yet they don't even flinch, even after getting thrown to the ground. They only get up like it was nothing, brushing themselves off.

Then, it was their side's turn.

"My turn," their voices echo, yet only the one in a cloak moves. He starts to walk forward, only silently passing his opponent. "I special summon Phantom Knights Cloven Helm and normal summon Phantom Knights Fragile Armour."

The ghostly armours burst onto the field, eerily silent in contrast to their wildly sparking blue flames. They fly around their master as they stop next to the other. Their glowing, piercing eyes pierce into their opponents like ice to the bare skin.

"I overlay Cloven Helm and Fragile Armour." His arm moves calmly through the air, voice steady yet heavy with purpose. "From the pitch black, rise up against the foolish oppression, Fang of Rebellion! Descend now. Xyz Summon. Come forth, Rank 4. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."

The dark dragon descends with a cry that pierces the soul. But it doesn't move.

"Turn end."

Before the masked group could even get out more than a sound of disbelief, the voices start again.

"My turn," they say, but only the one in the white jacket moves, "I set the Pendulum scale with scale 3 Xiangke Magician and scale 8 Xiangsheng Magician."

Two pillars of light form next to him, illuminating the red glow in his eyes. "I summon Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon."

One dragon became two, their roars synchronising over the field, stirring up wind and pulling at their clothes. White and black flutter behind them, figures standing steady.

"I activate Xiangke Magician's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can grant an Xyz monster I control a level equal to its rank. I chose Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."

"Huh- Aren't they on different fields?"

"How can that happen?!"

The Obelisk Force doesn't get an answer, only Dark Rebellion's roar.

"I activate Xiangsheng Magician's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can give an Xyz monster I control the same level as another level 5 or higher monster. I give Odd Eye's level seven to Dark Rebellion."

Red eyes glowing like simmering blood narrow. Grey eyes glowing like a harsh winter sky copy the movement.

" **I overlay Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."**

" **Dragon of dual-colored eyes. Unleash the black imperial wrath, and eradicate all opposing enemies! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 7! Dragon with eyes glowing with anger! The Supreme King Black Dragon, Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!"**

The giant black dragon, clad in electricity and power, descends on the plaza.

Thundering noise fills the area, despite the sky being clear.

* * *

Rin watches as her opponents disappear in particles of light from where they had been knocked to the ground by her final hit. It hadn't been a very tough duel, though the constant barrage of effect damage had made her wince a bit.

"Hey, you-" she turns around to the guy from before, only to see he's nowhere to be seen. "Oh goddamnit-!"

First person she runs into that isn't an enemy and he runs off the moment she takes her eyes off him! Fucking typical!

...Well, not fully.

Rin warily eyes the cards on the ground. She'd seen it from a distance, the way those masked guys had just… pressed a button on their duel disk, and turned the other kids into cards. It sent a chill down her spine, the echoes of their last screams still bouncing a little in her skull. The whole situation suddenly felt very real, and very dangerous.

Hesitantly, she goes to pick them up, avoiding looking at the images printed on the front too much as she pockets them. She couldn't just _leave_ them here, could she? If she ran into someone in charge who knew what was going on, she'd hand them over.

She was about to pocket her duel disk too, before deciding against it, keeping it strapped to her arm. It made her feel a little safer.

Were they those Academia guys? They had to be. So then… were the others okay?

The stadium was far away by now, yet she hadn't run into anyone but those masked fucks. Rin never wished she had the D-Wheel as badly as she did right now, traversing the uneven ground in this giant action field. She'd cover a lot more ground much faster with it. But it was back in City, in the garage where she and Yugo had built it.

At least, she hoped it was. Something resembling fear gripped her stomach at the idea of something having happened to it. She wouldn't put it past the facility owner if she had sold it off by now, when neither her or Yugo were there anymore. That place always needed money, and a nice D-Wheel like theirs was sure to be worth much…

Rin shook her head to rid her mind of those thoughts. She could think about that stuff later! Right now, locating the others were more important. She'd headed to the lava field since that was the last place she had seen Yuzu enter, but she had yet to see a glimpse of her.

The scenery gradually changed from rocky lava to a frozen wasteland. Rin walked over the frosty ground, careful not to slip on the icy patches that gradually increased in number and size. She followed the shift between the icy cold and burning heat for a while, wondering if she should continue searching the lava area, or go look in another place. Yuzu could have moved while Rin had been getting here, and she still hadn't seen Yuya or Gongenzaka…

"Rin?"

The voice makes her startle, turning to the source of the familiar voice. Yuzu stood on a frosted over hill, pink hair flapping in the wind and a surprised look on her face over seeing her out here.

"Hey," Rin says, stepping closer, some of the tension seeping out of her at the sight of her double. "Been looking for you."

"Huh? Why? Did something happen in the stadium?" Yuzu asks, now looking concerned. She carefully stepped down from the hill and jogged up to her. "I haven't heard anything about a problem…"

"There's no problem inside, but _outside_ on the other hand…"

"What do you-" Yuzu stops, eyes widening in realisation. "Do you mean those people Yuya and Yuto talked about? They're here?"

Rin nods, frow burrowed. "The screens in the stadium started getting cut. I had a bad feeling, so I went out. Didn't take long before I ran into some of them."

"What? Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, right?" Yuzu asks, looking over her in search of injuries with worried eyes.

Rin rolls her eyes, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. "I'm fine. Only thing that's gotten a sting is my hand after I knocked out some guards."

Yuzu looks at her, horrified. "You _what-"_

"Anyway, we should find the others, stick together and all that." Rin turns on her heel to continue on. "Think I saw Yuya in the ancient ruins area last, let's go there."

"Wai- Rin!" Yuzu shouts after her as she starts to walk off, stomping after her. "Did you actually fight with the security?! You could get in serious trouble for that!"

Rin glances over her shoulder, unimpressed. "As if you wouldn't do the same were you in my shoes."

"Urk-" Yuzu stops, turning flustered. "That, that has nothing to do with it!"

"Of course it does, it means you can't pester me about it." Rin waves a hand over her shoulder. "Hurry up so you don't get left behind."

Yuzu grumbles indignantly, but eventually jogs up next to Rin. She avoids looking in the other's direction. "Just don't make a habit of it."

' _If I was back home I'd be thrown in prison for even looking like I was considering it.'_

Rin huffs, almost smiling. "No promises."

Yugo was basically being held captive by security back home, protected by the Duel King or not, after all. Rin had long since accepted the police violence she would unleash once it was time to rescue him.

It wasn't very hard to do.

* * *

The air is quiet. So different from just a minute ago, filled with roars, lightning, and screams.

When was the last time it was quiet? When their blood wasn't rushing in their ears, every nerve pulled taut and blocking out all the cries around them. Were they pained or joyful cries? They don't know. It felt so long ago, yet like it was just yesterday. But their body does not ache,

The simmering intensity is still there, bubbling under the surface and waiting to blow up. But there was nothing. They have to move.

Yet, they stand still. There's no wind today(it is missed), the sun is shining softly(not too bright so it hurts the eye).

It's peaceful. When did they last feel peace?

Still, something inside longs for destruction. For retribution. To unleash all the fear and carnage they were capable of. Just like they want-

 _No._

 _Not that._

 _Not anymore._

Something protests in them. Something that had, after what felt like an eternity, finally had a chance to rest. The chance to feel that warm feeling that spread in your chest and filled you. Softer than rage, gentler than fury, but still holding a strength like no other.

 _Happiness. Safety._

The burning fury lifted. The intensity cooled off.

The two stumbles, managing only half a step before the ground disappears under their feet, expressions dazed and eyes foggy as they slide closed.

Then they collapsed, arms outstretched towards the other, fingertips just barely brushing where they laid on the ground.

* * *

"Hey, Yuzu."

Yuzu pauses as she sees that Rin has stopped at the edge of a cliff. As Yuzu walks up, she points at two figures in the distance as she looks at her. "Recognise them?"

Yuzu looks where Rin is pointing. She sees two girls, one with long, dark hair and the other with a ponytail and wearing what looked like a red uniform. The latter she didn't know, the other, she did. "Ruri."

Rin nods. She frowns. "Seems like something pretty intense is going on."

Yuzu looks more closely. Then, she spots the way Ruri's body is pulled taut, hand clenched at her side. How the other girl is tense, stance ready and aggressive, voice carrying over the distance, though they were unable to make out any words.

"Let's head over," Yuzu says. Rin nods, and they start making their way there.

The closer they get, the more of the unknown girl Yuzu can make out. And it's with a jerk that she realises her face is eerily familiar.

"Ruri!" Yuzu shouts.

The dark-haired girl jumps, head snapping over to their direction. She seems… different from the girl Yuzu has met up til now. Something harder brought out from the soft smile and gentle demeanour.

"Yuzu, Rin…" Ruri trails off, eyes jumping between them and the other girl. Yuzu looked her over, taking in her high ponytail of blue hair held in a yellow ribbon, her steadfast stance, the hard frown on her face and the rock-like emerald of her eyes. And the bracelet around her wrist, a thin circle with a big, round stone with a blue jewel.

"So you must be the fusion duplicate," Rin says, her casual yet rough tone matched with the deceptive ease of her posture, betrayed if you looked hard enough. She was on guard.

The girl's green eyes narrow, looking angry. "My name is Serena! I am no one's duplicate!"

Rin merely raises a brow while Yuzu wonders what to do. The thought had been there, that if there were four people who had Yuya's face in the other worlds, and Yuzu knew of three who shared her face, then surely…

"Serena," she ends up repeating. The girl doesn't look away from glaring daggers at Rin, who looks completely unthreatened. "I'm Yuzu, she's Rin, and…"

"I am Kurosaki Ruri," Ruri finishes for her, still looking tense. "I'm from the Xyz dimension."

That makes Serena look away from Rin, face slacking slightly as they turn to Ruri, who stares back evenly.

"You came here for me, right? To hunt me down." Ruri's voice is even, yet has a chilling quality to it that made a shiver creep up Yuzu's spine. Her once gentle eyes are hard like flint.

Serena recovers from her surprise. And scoffs, a smile on her face. Yuzu starts to feel uneasy. "That's right."

"Huh?" Yuzu says while Rin tenses. Ruri only narrows her eyes. "Why would you do something like that?"

Serena doesn't answer or pay her any mind, her attention now fully focused on Ruri. She's holding her duel disk in front of her chest. "Now, duel me! I'll take you down!"

"...Before that, there's something I want to ask you." Serena pauses, frowning. Ruri's hands clench into fists. "What is Academia's goal? Why did you attack my home? Why… why are you carding people? Laughing like it's a game, and not like you're doing something terrible."

Ruri's voice is even as she talks, but rises in pitch and turns shaky at the end, eyes looking at Serena.

It's silent, the air tense and heavy. Yuzu watches with bated breath while Rin is still next to her.

Then, Serena speaks.

"Ridiculous."

Yuzu's eyes widen. "Wha?"

"Laughing like it was a game? The proud warriors of Academia wouldn't do such a thing."

"Proud…?" Ruri gets out, starting to shake. From what, Yuzu didn't know.

"You want to know Academia's goal? Fine, I'll tell you." Serena raises a hand, holding up one finger. "It is to unite these worlds into one."

Rin frowns. "Unite?"

"That's why we invaded Xyz. Eventually, we'll absorb this Standard dimension and the Synchro dimension, and make this world into one. That is what all of Academia's duelists have been trained for. These honourable warriors wouldn't do those kinds of things you speak about."

"Then, is that why you're here?" Yuzu asks, dread starting to form in her stomach. "To invade Maiami?"

"I am not here on anyone's orders!" Serena snaps, looking angry. "I came here on my own free will, in order to defeat the Xyz refugees. The guys here now are likely sent to capture me. But I won't be caught, I'll prove my strength, and show that the Professor was wrong to not send me to the frontlines!"

Ruri grit her teeth. "So you came here, knowing you'd be pursued, and put all these innocent people in danger, for your own selfish desire?" Serena falters but doesn't get a chance to speak as Ruri continues, eyes shadowed by her hair. "I don't care if your goal is noble or not, or even what it means. I just wanted to at least _hope_ that all the suffering you've caused had some reason behind it."

Ruri lifts her head, fuschia eyes almost burning from anger. Yuzu has to keep herself from stepping back at the intensity.

"Are you saying hunting us down, hurting us and turning innocent people who had nothing to do with whatever your goals are _justified?_ Is it okay to cause us so much suffering, so much sadness, just for something you've decided yourself?"

"Why should they have reason to feel sad? Xyz duelists should have pride too. If they fought with all they have and lost their lives in battle, they should just accept the result and be happy-"

"WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE!"

Ruri's furious words echo across the frozen wasteland and make everyone freeze. Her hands are shaking with restrained anger. "No one in Heartland wanted to fight in your war! You just stomped all over their happiness, our dreams and lives, and you dare call that honourable?! You dare say we should just accept it?!"

Serena looks taken aback, like she's not sure how to handle the words being thrown in her face, or the eyes of a wartorn and hurt girl piercing into her.

Ruri lifts her arm and activates her duel disk. "If you're going to insist on keeping your rosy, noble view of all this misery, I'll face you! Just like you want!"

Serena jumps, then seem to slot back into a comfortable posture, shaking away anything that wasn't determination and anger from her face. She activates her own duel disk. "Good, come at me!"

"Wai-! You two! Stop it!" Yuzu is about to jump forward, step between them, get them to _stop,_ when a hand grabs ahold hard of her shoulder, holding her back.

"Leave them be," Rin says, voice firm.

Yuzu looks at her in disbelief. "What are you saying, Rin?! Are you saying we should just let them fight? We're not enemies!"

"Really?"

Yuzu pauses at the simple, one-word question. "Huh?"

"Because to me, those two doesn't have the look of people who don't have some baggage."

Yuzu looks over. She takes in the hard grit in Ruri's face, the fury in her eyes and tenseness in her whole body, and the hardness in Serena's posture, her loud voice demanding to be heard and taken seriously, the headstrong and angry look in her eyes.

"No matter how much we hear about or see, we can't know what they've been through," Rin continues, hand slipping off Yuzu's shoulder back to her side now that she wasn't intent on interrupting. "We'll never understand. What right do we have to get between them? We can't put our foot down and say what we think is right here."

Yuzu bites her lip, still conflicted. She kinda understood Rin's words. This wasn't their lane, their place to butt in. But… fighting it out like this felt wrong. It went against everything Yuzu stood for. Dueling wasn't meant to be for things like this.

Rin seems to sense her struggle. "If they go too far, we'll step in. But for now… let's let them battle out their frustrations. We still don't know if Serena can really be our ally or not, but if anyone can make her realise what Academia is doing is wrong… it's Ruri."

Yuzu swallows, but reluctantly nods her head. She wrings her hands and settles to watch the duel.

Rin carefully bumps her shoulder with her own in a silent attempt at comfort. Yuzu takes it wholeheartedly, feeling just a little bit better knowing the other girl cared.

* * *

 _ **Our eternally linked routes clear our field of vision**_


End file.
